Northern Michigan University raises tuition, makes more money available for grants
The NMU Board of Trustees recently voted to increase tuition for resident undergrads by 4.2 percent. It also made grant money available to help students offset the higher costs.
Students at Northern Michigan University can expect tuition to rise to $6,011 per semester for full-time enrollment for those with resident status. That 4.2 percent increase will be offset for most students by grants starting at $750 per year, according to university administration, resulting in a lower total bill. Funding for the grants comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), part of the federal government's CARES Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NMU President Fritz Erickson spoke about the tuition and grants in a news release. "Northern has done an outstanding job of safely navigating the COVID-19 situation so far, largely in part due to the actions of our students," Erikson said, adding, "To reflect that, campus leaders wanted the tuition and fee recommendations brought to the NMU Board of Trustees to recognize our students' efforts of the past 16 months in a meaningful way. Actually lowering their tuition and fees for the upcoming year does that and I think will be greatly appreciated."
The news release also states that the decision of the Board of Trustees will allow Northern Michigan University to maintain its status as the second most affordable university in the state, now for the 18th year in a row. Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees approved grants of up to $800 through HEERF to help students make up for hardships experienced during the pandemic.
Chair of the NMU Board of Trustees, Tami Seavoy, explained the reasoning behind the decisions. "The COVID-19 global pandemic has created financial stress for so many of our NMU students and their families. The action the board has taken today and those taken earlier this year recognize this and, we hope, assist students in continuing progress toward their degree completion as the world, nation, state and Northern work to recover from this public health crisis," Seavoy said.
The vote was held by the Board of Trustees on June 28, with a 7-1 win for the plan. The board also raised graduate program and Global Campus tuition rates by 4.2 percent at the same meeting.