PASSHE Board Approves State Funding Request to Support Tuition Freeze

State System reports stable fall enrollment

Chancellor outlines innovations to
expand student opportunities and improve outcomes

HARRISBURG, PA - The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) today unanimously approved a request for a 5.5% increase in its 2027-28 state appropriation to enable a tuition freeze next fall for undergraduate, in-state students.

At the meeting, PASSHE also reported stable fall enrollment, giving the State System time to address the gradual decline in the population of high school graduates in the years ahead. Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino outlined two priorities that will inform that work: improving student success and strengthening financial sustainability.

"Steady enrollment gives our universities some time to prepare for the changes ahead," said Cynthia Shapira, chair of the PASSHE Board of Governors. "We are focused on providing a quality higher education at the lowest possible cost, reaching more students and helping them finish a degree, and that work takes investment."

Enrollment Holds Steady

PASSHE reported that fall 2026 enrollment held steady at just under 83,000 students. Eight universities had enrollment gains or maintained their enrollment levels compared with fall 2025. Cheyney University led with a 1.9% increase, followed by East Stroudsburg University at 1.6% and Millersville University at 1.3%. Indiana University of Pennsylvania rose 0.5%, West Chester University rose 0.4%, and Slippery Rock University rose 0.3%. PennWest University and Shippensburg University held steady.

Preparing for Pennsylvania's Demographic Change

While systemwide enrollment is stable this year, Pennsylvania is projected to have 10% fewer high school graduates by 2040, with larger declines in some regions, according to a PASSHE estimate.

Based on today's rates, an equivalent decline in PASSHE enrollment could mean a loss of approximately $63 million in tuition revenue each year, putting pressure on university budgets.

"Those trends create financial challenges for our universities and make it harder to educate enough graduates for Pennsylvania employers," said Fiorentino. "This is the moment for PASSHE to challenge assumptions, ask hard questions of ourselves and make decisions that keep PASSHE financially stable in the years ahead, able to provide students with the education they deserve while preparing the talent Pennsylvania needs."

PASSHE has already begun adapting to those changes, and the chancellor described two priorities that build on that work.

PASSHE Priority: Student Success

Innovations that expand student success will help PASSHE adapt to demographic change by reaching students at different points in their lives and helping more of those who enroll complete a degree. PASSHE universities are already expanding options for working adults, growing dual enrollment, streamlining transfer pathways, welcoming back students who left before graduating, and improving student persistence.

Over the next year, Fiorentino said PASSHE will build on that work by expanding shared courses so its students can take classes from other State System universities, advancing direct admissions, encouraging more community college students to complete bachelor's degrees at PASSHE universities and awarding more credit for prior learning and work experience. PASSHE will continue exploring whether three-year pathways could provide an additional option for students in a limited number of programs.

PASSHE Priority: Financial Sustainability

Strengthening financial sustainability will also help PASSHE respond to demographic shifts by aligning resources with student demand as the traditional college-age population declines. Universities are reviewing academic programs to retire those that students no longer choose and to redirect resources to programs with stronger demand.

"About 90% of our students are enrolled in only 30% of university programs," said Fiorentino. "Our resources need to go where students want to study and where Pennsylvania employers need graduates."

Both priorities will require PASSHE universities to make the best use of existing resources and for the State System to seek additional state and external investment.

"Innovation requires investment that can come from many sources: the state, philanthropy, grant dollars, and from our own efforts to free up resources for reinvestment," said Fiorentino. "We need to pull hard on all of those levers."

Investing in the Future

The Board's request for a 5.5% increase in PASSHE's 2027-28 state appropriation would support that work while enabling a freeze on undergraduate, in-state tuition for fall 2027.

The Board maintained a tuition freeze for seven consecutive years, from fall 2018 through spring 2025, and PASSHE universities remain the most affordable four-year option in Pennsylvania.

"The governor and legislature are strong supporters of PASSHE university students, and we are thankful for their past investments," said Shapira. "State investment helps keep college affordable for students and provides our universities with resources to respond to Pennsylvania's workforce needs."

In addition to state funding, PASSHE will pursue grants and other external support for student success and innovation across the System.

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About PASSHE
Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the public university system of the commonwealth with a mission to provide a high-quality education at the lowest possible cost to students. The State System annually confers more than 20,000 degrees and has more than 800,000 living alumni, most of whom live in Pennsylvania. The State System universities are Cheyney, Commonwealth (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield), East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Millersville, PennWest (California, Clarion and Edinboro), Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.