University of Pittsburgh to increase tuition for upcoming school year

PITTSBURGH — The start of the fall semester is about a month away, and the University of Pittsburgh is raising tuition for most students heading back to classes.

The cost of college is going up at Pitt’s main Oakland campus. In-state undergraduate students will see a two-percent increase. Out-of-state undergrads will see a seven-percent increase.

Grad students like Thomas Troyan will pay a 3.5-percent tuition hike.

“Personally, it’s just one of those things that I know my tuition is gonna raise and I’m in a position where I can safely afford that,” said Troyan.

Amy Raslevich sees rising college costs from two perspectives — as a recent Ph.D. graduate from Pitt’s School of Public Health and as a parent of two college students.

“I am fortunate that I have a spouse, and I had some funding, but as I look around, I see the School of Education, the School of Social Work that have all these very, very dedicated folks who need degrees and want to do something better in the word and they are in significant debt,” said Raslevich.

Here’s how the increased costs break down :

• 2% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students calculates to an average of $197 extra per term
• 7% tuition increase for out-of-state undergraduate students calculates to an average of $1,260 extra per term
• 3.5% increase for all graduate students calculates to an average of $436 extra per term for most in-state students and an average of $740 extra per term for out-of-state students

“I think of all the people in my position who may not have the same resources or ability to pay for themselves,” said Troyan.

The increase will raise tuition for most majors to $20,155 for the 2023-24 academic year, up from last year’s $19,760.

Students at Pitt’s four regional campuses will not see a tuition increase.

Pitt Chancellor Joan T.A. Gabel released the following message to the community:

“As the Commonwealth has not yet approved its final FY24 budget, our budgets were approved under the assumption that the state will continue its half-century-plus tradition of supporting in-state students, which now number more than 17,000 across our campuses. At the University of Pittsburgh, students guide our daily mission, and we are certainly concerned about the increasing costs of higher education at Pitt and throughout the nation. We will continue to work diligently to control this burden while elevating financial assistance and overall quality….In the days and weeks ahead, we will continue to work with lawmakers in Harrisburg to emphasize the importance of supporting Pennsylvania’s students and increasing funding for state-related universities.”

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