Today, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Council of Trustees approved a new dining plan option and recommended changes in fees, including a consolidation of fees that will result in a reduction of cost for students.
The recommendations were presented to the Council of Trustees by IUP President Michael Driscoll.
Each year at the December IUP Council of Trustees meeting, a Student Fee Proposal book is presented with any proposed changes to existing fees and proposals for new fees for Trustee review and action. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors’ policy includes approving tuition rates for a two-year period, with the second year being tentative. To help students and families plan, IUP’s fee proposals are also for two years, covering academic years 2026-27 and 2027-28.
The Tuition Model and Pricing Workgroup, co-chaired by IUP Vice President for Student Affairs Thomas Segar and Strategic Advisor to the President for Student Success Paula Stossel, developed the recommendations for review by President Driscoll.
The Workgroup began in November 2021, charged by President Driscoll to continue to examine, investigate, and analyze information regarding the tuition and pricing levels and models at IUP, reflecting IUP’s commitment to being a more fully student-centered university.
Recommendations approved today by the Council of Trustees include consolidating the Student Services fee, I-Card Fee, Registration Fee, Transportation Fee, and Wellness Fee to a per credit rate of $42 for undergraduate students, which is an overall reduction of $7; and a per credit rate of $45 for graduate students, an overall reduction of $1.
The proposal noted that the recommendation would simplify bills for students and families and reduce processing time for staff.
The Technology Tuition Fee, Activity Fee, and Instructional Fee would remain as individual fees.
The Instructional Fee, which ranges from $35.40 per credit for in-state undergraduate students to $86.40 per credit for out-of-state undergraduate and graduate students, will be increased by 3.5 percent for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years.
An increase of 10 percent for the Technology Tuition Fee for both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years was approved by the Council of Trustees. This fee currently ranges from $21 for in-state undergraduate students to $41 for out-of-state graduate students.
The Technology Tuition Fee is used to acquire, install, and maintain up-to-date and emerging technologies to enhance student-learning outcomes; to provide equitable access to technology resources; and help System graduates to be competitive in the technologically sophisticated workplace. All hardware, software, databases, and other capital equipment procured with these revenues are to support student learning experiences.
IUP’s Technology Tuition Fees are either equal or less than the Technology Tuition Fee charged at other universities in the State System.
The Council also approved a recommendation to keep housing rates steady; most housing rates have remained steady since 2016. The exception is the one-person (single) private, suite-style rooms in Susan Snell Delaney Hall, Donna D. Putt Hall, Gealy W. Wallwork Hall, Andrew W. Stephenson Hall, Northern Suites, MG Rodney D. Ruddock Hall, and the Suites on Pratt, which increased by 4.4 percent for fall 2025.
A total of 3,008 students live in university housing on the Indiana and Punxsutawney campuses this fall, up from 2,842 students living in university housing in fall 2024. This number includes a record-breaking percentage of students who lived on campus during the 2024–25 academic year who returned to on-campus housing for 2025–26. Currently, 40 percent of all students living on campus are continuing students, and 60 percent are new students.
Following no increases in dining costs from 2018 to 2025, Trustees approved a seven percent increase in costs for the current dining plans for the 2026-27 academic year and a five percent increase for meal plans for 2027-28.
“We continue to be committed to offering quality, nutritious, innovative, diverse and affordable dining options to meet the needs and wants of our students,” Segar said. “Our students are very engaged in the dining program, and in fact, the number of students enrolled in university meal plans for the fall semester—3,804—is the highest meal plan student participation since fall 2019. An additional 572 students without meal plans have added $318,00 in ‘Flex dollars’ to their dining accounts,” he said.
Developed in response to student demand, a new “unlimited” dining plan was approved by the Trustees as part of the dining program. This new unlimited plan, set at $2,600 per semester, will be available for on-campus and off-campus residents starting in the 2026-2027 academic year.
“We have worked as hard as possible to keep dining affordable, but IUP is not immune from rising costs of food and other supplies being experienced nationally,” Segar said.
“Unfortunately, the increased expenses that had been absorbed over the past six years when we kept fees steady have necessitated an increase,” he said. “After careful study, including national Consumer Price Index projections, this recommendation reflects what we need to maintain a quality program with what we believe students can afford,” he said. “We continue to offer a wide variety of dining options – from unlimited meals to 10 meals a week – to provide as many options as possible to serve our students at different financial levels,” he said.
Dining facilities on campus include North Dining, Starbucks, Crimson Perk, Folger After Dark, Hadley Union Building Food Court, and Crimson Café. For students who need to follow specific eating patterns, IUP’s on-campus dietitian is available to help with questions, concerns, healthy eating tips, fitness, weight management, and eating disorders questions from students and families. North Dining offers True Balance, a station for diners with food allergies, and the dining facility’s options include a number of low-carbon “CoolFood Meals” that have a 38 percent lower carbon emission than the average meal.
The dining service hires more than 100 students each semester to work in the various dining facilities. Aramark provides IUP’s dining services.
Trustees approved an increase in Act 120 Tuition for the Criminal Justice Training Center (CJTC) from $6,000 to $6,500. All external costs and equipment, except for uniforms, are provided to students through this fee, which also supports increased staffing costs, and overall rising costs associated with firearms training.
The Council also approved an increase in the fee for the School Security Personnel Class from $395 to $495. The School Security Personnel Program is an online training that is a requirement for any school police officer, school resource officer, or security guard.
The Tuition Model and Pricing Workgroup completed its review of undergraduate, in-state tuition, which became effective fall 2022, and the undergraduate, out-of-state, domestic tuition which was approved in December 2022 and was implemented in fall 2023.
The Workgroup completed a review and a recommendation for international undergraduate tuition, which was implemented in 2023, and a reduction in the cost of attendance for our dual-enrolled students, implemented in fall 2025. The Workgroup also developed the tiered residential housing scholarship recommendation, approved by the Council of Trustees at its December 2024 meeting.
“As we assess the various tuition structures, the Workgroup continues to consider the university’s financial status and balance the impact of the recommendation on both students and university revenues, keeping the student’s interest at the core of any changes to the tuition model as a primary goal. We are continuing our work with the overall cost of attendance at IUP and continuing to thoroughly review student fees,” Segar said.
The Workgroup is currently reviewing graduate tuition, in anticipation of a recommendation for implementation for the fall 2026 semester.
Trustees also heard a report about the S.W. Jack Cogeneration Plant.
Interim Vice President for Administration and Finance Larry Wakefield reported that the cogeneration plant continues to be successful in assisting to keep utility costs low for the university while achieving specific financial, service, and environmental expectations in support of IUP’s and the Pennsylvania State System's missions and visions.
Plant performance during the 2024-25 fiscal year reflected more than $2 million in cost avoidance and increased revenue from IUP’s participation in the Capacity Program through the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland Interconnection (PJM).
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025 and through the Impact 150 comprehensive campaign, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking to its next 150 years of student success, innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.