Framingham State Freezing Tuition In Next Academic Year

Framingham MA

21 December, 2020

10:05 AM

Description

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham State University will not increase tuition in the next academic year — a gesture President F. Javier Cevallos says is meant to help students struggling during the pandemic. Framingham State has used a hybrid model for learning during the fall semester, with about 15 percent of classes offered in-person. Still, annual tuition and fees of about $11,400 per year did not drop for the pandemic-altered academic year. "The pandemic has put such a burden on so many of us and many people are struggling," Cevallos said in a statement. "With the support of our Board of Trustees, I'm happy to say that we are fully committed to keeping the price of attending Framingham State University flat for the upcoming academic year." Framingham State Board of Trustees Chair Kevin Foley said the school's budget will take a "small hit" to keep tuition flat. But Foley said the school can absorb the hit due to strong budgeting tactics in recent years. The school has also tried to increase assistance for students. Financial aid has been upped by about $1 million over the last few years, according to school officials. Even with reduced in-person learning and on-campus housing, Framingham State has had virus transmission. Over the last 30 days, 21 out of 3,763 in the campus community have tested positive for the virus. That's a positive test rate of about 0.56 percent, far lower than Framingham's citywide positive test rate of 8.7 percent. The Board of Trustees still has to approve the tuition freeze, which is expected to happen at a January meeting.