The cost of attending college will increase for the 2026-27 school year at several public Michigan universities.
Many of these universities cite budget pressures as the reason for the increase. The universities attribute the pressure to state funding that hasn’t kept up with inflation, federal uncertainty with research funding and rising costs.
The tuition increases range from 2.5% to 4%.
Below is a list of tuition increases at several public Michigan universities and information on what students can expect to pay:
Eastern Michigan University
The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents approved a 2.5% undergraduate tuition increase for the 2026-27 academic year on June 25.
That’s the lowest annual increase at Eastern Michigan, located in Ypsilanti, in more than 10 years, according to a university news release.
The flat rate tuition at Eastern (12-16 credit hours per semester) is $17,100 per year, compared with $16,684 last year. At the undergraduate level, there is no difference in the amount that in-state and nonresident students pay.
The per-credit-hour charge (for one to 11 credits or 17 or more credits) is now $717.50 per semester, up from $700 last year.
Eastern also said it has changed its fee structure so that students pay a single student services fee of $225 per semester, which supports access to the recreation center and intramural sports, counseling and well-being services, career services and registration each semester.
Grand Valley State University
The Grand Valley State University Board of Trustees approved a 4% increase in tuition based on expected flat support from the state and a small growth in enrollment at the university in Allendale, according to a university news release issued when the increase was approved in April.
Room and board are expected to increase by 2.8%, the release said.
Tuition for an incoming freshman at Grand Valley is $16,520 per year, compared with $15,872 last year. Nonresident tuition is now $23,492per year, compared with $22,588 last year.
Michigan State University
MSU set a dollar amount increase for the third year in a row, instead of an across-the-board percentage increase, according to the 2026-27 budget the Board of Trustees approved in June.
For the coming academic year, tuition rates at the East Lansing university will increase by $740 for all students. For resident undergraduate students, this increase is an average of 3.99%.
Tuition will increase from $16,916 to $17,656 per year for in-state first-year undergraduate students. Nonresident and international incoming freshmen will pay $45,040 per year, up from $44,300 last year.
Oakland University
The 2026-27 average tuition rate for in-state undergraduate students is $18,656.25, an increase of 3.99%, according to a news release following the Rochester university’s June 26 Board of Trustees meeting.
Oakland University charges tuition on a per-credit-hour basis, so the average assumes 30 credit hours per year. Oakland’s average annual nonresidential tuition is $24,735, the same as last year, Eric Reikowski, an Oakland University spokesperson, said in an email.
The board also approved a campus housing budget that includes a 3% increase in rates for double-style rooms. The cost for a double room will be $11,970, the release said.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan will raise tuition and fees for in-state students by 3% for the 2026-27 academic year under a new budget approved by the Board of Regents on June 25.
Tuition and fees for most in-state undergraduate students in their freshman or sophomore year will rise from $18,346 a year to $18,896 starting in the fall.
Tuition and fees for out-of-state students and most graduate programs at the Ann Arbor-based school will rise 4.9%. Nonresident undergraduate tuition will now cost $67,096 per year.
At the University of Michigan-Flint, tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students in their freshman or sophomore year will rise to $16,270 this year, up from $15,622 last year. Nonresident tuition is now $29,898 for freshmen and sophomore undergraduates, up from $28,492 last year.
At the University of Michigan-Dearborn, tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students in their freshman or sophomore year will rise to $16,864 this year, up from $16,240 last year. Nonresident tuition is now $35,512 for freshmen and sophomore undergraduates, up from $34,168 last year.
Wayne State University
Wayne State University in Detroit will raise tuition by 4% for its undergraduate and graduate students.
For an undergraduate student in their freshman or sophomore year at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Wayne State’s largest college), tuition will increase from $13,642 to $14,188 per year, according to the budget presentation.
Out-of-state undergraduates in their freshman or sophomore year at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will pay $32,497 per year.
Western Michigan University
Trustees approved a 4% increase in tuition and required fees for resident undergraduate students in June, according to a budget proposal.
This fall, a newly admitted, full-time Michigan resident freshman will pay $16,592 in tuition and required fees to attend the Kalamazoo university, an increase of $638 for the academic year compared with last year.
A nonresident freshman will pay $20,894 in tuition and fees this year.
Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tuition is rising at these Michigan public universities: What to know
Reporting by Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
