The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), which includes HBCU Cheyney University in Delaware County, is making significant strides in maintaining affordable education and boosting enrollment.
The Board of Governors for PASSHE has unanimously approved a request for a 5% increase in its 2026–27 state appropriation. This increase aims to freeze undergraduate in-state tuition. As the state budget remains unresolved, the request is based on the 2024-25 enacted appropriation. This announcement was made during the board’s quarterly meeting on Thursday.
In July, the board approved a $278 annual tuition increase for the 2025-26 academic year, raising tuition to $7,994 per year. This marked the end of a seven-year freeze in tuition rates that lasted from 2015 to 2025.
PASSHE includes several universities across the state:
– HBCU Cheyney University
– East Stroudsburg University
– Indiana University of Pennsylvania
– Kutztown University
– Millersville University
– Shippensburg University
– Slippery Rock University
– West Chester University
– Pennsylvania Western University (California, Clarion, and Edinboro campuses)
– Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield campuses)
State System Chair Cynthia Shapira emphasized the importance of the appropriation request during the meeting. “What this appropriations request does is maintain our consistent and firm commitment to hold tuition flat,” she said. “This reflects our mission and brand as a system that provides high-quality four-year education at a cost significantly lower than the published tuition rates of any other four-year institution in the Commonwealth.”
Shapira also noted, “That mission is what really drives this request. We understand that it is a request and it still has to go through the political process, but we will continue to advocate for its approval.”
The announcement comes as PASSHE reports positive enrollment trends for the first time in over a decade. Fall enrollment increased to 83,000 students, a 0.6% rise systemwide. Additionally, seven of the ten universities experienced enrollment growth.
Leading the system in enrollment gains was Cheyney University, with a 37.9% increase—the highest total enrollment since 2014. East Stroudsburg University saw a 4.4% rise, while Slippery Rock and Shippensburg universities reported increases of 2.75% and 2.6%, respectively. Millersville and West Chester universities recorded gains of 1.3% and 1.2%.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania maintained steady overall enrollment but achieved more than an 8% increase in new student enrollment. Transfers from Pennsylvania community colleges grew by 14.3%, reflecting a strong pipeline of students moving into the system.
PASSHE also achieved a record-high retention rate of 81%, the highest since tracking began in 2004. With nearly 89% of students coming from within Pennsylvania, PASSHE remains the state’s leading producer of bachelor’s degrees.
State System Chancellor Christopher Fiorentino praised the faculty and staff for their dedication, saying, “These gains show that our faculty and staff are committed to helping students succeed. We are focused on providing high-quality affordable education that prepares students for real opportunities after graduation.”
He added, “Pennsylvania needs more skilled workers in health care, STEM, business, and education, and our universities are helping meet that demand. Our graduates are making a difference in communities and contributing to the strength of the state’s economy.”
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