Western Kentucky University proposing tuition hike

Published 5:09 am Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Western Kentucky University is proposing a 2% tuition increase and proposing cuts to offset a budget shortfall of nearly $8 million.

The university’s board of regents will review the proposal on Friday.

Budget materials provided by the university said enrollment for the fall of 2021 “is difficult to forecast due to the unprecedented closure of high schools for most of (academic year) 2020-2021 year,” The Daily News of Bowling Green reported.

It also said “communications with high school students have been challenging during the pandemic.”

The school is facing $7.8 million in budget cuts that could include “operational spending reductions, travel reductions, strategic hiring pauses, etc.,” the materials said.

The state’s public universities are waiting for a final decision from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education about how high they can raise tuition this year. The council is expected to make that decision by mid-May.