Thawing the tuition freeze

As Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration begins, the 2021-22 state budget is at the top of the agenda. On Thursday, Jan. 7, Gov. Gianforte released his proposed state budget, with a total of $100 million in cuts compared to former governor Steve Bullock’s budget. Amidst these reductions is a dramatic cut to Montana University System (MUS) funding, from Bullock’s planned $37 million to Gianforte’s newly proposed $11 million. A reduction in funding of this degree would force the Montana Board of Regents to reduce funding to universities like MSU, and students would ultimately feel the brunt of these cutbacks.

The reduction in funding is forcing the Board of Regents to consider ending the current two-year tuition freeze that was put in place in 2019. This would allow the board to increase tuition rates at universities to “...ensure that the quality education available at MSU continues,” said Janelle Booth, MSU’s director of governmental affairs.

Although a tuition increase would be detrimental to some students, Booth said retention rates and application numbers remain steady as tuition increases, largely because the, “MUS as a whole has one of the lowest rates of tuition growth among its peers. So, compared to other options students have, going to school at a public university in Montana remains very attractive,” Booth said.

Any money collected as a result of a tuition increase would fund “...student instruction, student support [systems] and [university] operations,” Booth explained. Furthermore, for low-income and other students struggling to grapple with the tuition increase, Booth explained that the university continuously seeks out donors to further fund need-based scholarships to ensure every student can continue their education at MSU. “[Finding donors] is a high priority, and we award as many dollars as we have available,” she said.

While a tuition increase seems likely amid the cuts to university system funding, Booth emphasized that tuition decisions are made by the Board of Regents in their annual May meeting, which occurs after the state budget is finalized and the Montana legislature adjourns for summer. Booth also said that MSU and the MUS lobby for system funding and “...work as hard as we can to achieve our system priorities with the Legislature…” but said that the MUS remains realistic in their views as, “...there is a limited pot of money to go around, due to the state’s current economic situation.”

The Board of Regents meeting where the ultimate decision on whether or not tuition will increase will take place on Wednesday, May 26, and Thursday, May 27, at the Great Falls College-MSU campus. The potential tuition increase would go into effect this fall for the 2021-22 academic year.