DENVER — Citing economic uncertainty, the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) announced August 2 it is freezing its tuition rate for both current and incoming students.
“Our students are facing tremendous financial challenges right now,” said Janine Davidson, the university’s president. “Many are working multiple jobs just to keep up with rising costs for rent, groceries, gas and other necessities, while also persevering to earn their college degrees.”
The news from MSU comes as fears of a recession rise due to concerning economic reports and the worst inflation outbreak in four decades. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has downplayed recession fears and pointed to near-record-low unemployment as signs of a strong economy.
Davidson said rising costs have been challenging for MSU students, and that is part of the reason why the university implemented the tuition freeze.
“We want [students] to know that their tuition is one cost that won’t be rising,” Davidson said in a statement.
[Related: How to protect your finances amid recession fears]
Starting in the Fall 2022 semester tuition for first-time undergraduate students will be locked for four years. For current students, tuition will not change for three years. Transfer students will have their rate locked for two years.
The tuition freeze does not include mandatory fees, which increase annually. You can explore the mandatory fees here.
In-state undergraduate tuition at MSU is $3,378 per semester, and that does not include financial aid. For out-of-state students, the tuition is $10,510 (nearly 96% of the undergraduate student body is from Colorado).
Earlier this year, MSU announced tuition would be free for students who are enrolled in any of the 574 Indigenous nations recognized by the federal government. The university also provides free tuition to descendants of people who were displaced by the construction of the Auraria Campus, where MSU, the University of Colorado Denver and Community College of Denver are located.
More information on the tuition lock is available here.
Kyle Cooke is the digital media manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.
