Every year, Moravain increases its tuition to cover the costs of operating the university, such as salaries, benefits, energy, and general inflation. Historically, the increase has been about 3%, according to Chief Financial Officer Mark Reed.
This year, the tuition increase was 3%. However, all students are charged a Comprehensive Fee that includes the Student Activity Fee and the Technology Fee.
The Comprehensive Fee increased by 3.85%, primarily due to the 3% Tuition Fee bump, with additional increases in the Student Activity and Technology Fees.
Tuition increases don’t exist in a vacuum. They collide with rising housing costs, textbook access codes priced like luxury items, and student wages that rarely move. For first-generation and low-income students, these incremental hikes function as quiet gatekeeping; not dramatic enough to make headlines, but loud enough to strain bank accounts and destabilize academic performance.
Tuition increases are a normal part of university budgeting, but for students already balancing housing, food, and textbook costs, even small hikes can make a noticeable difference. The increase comes amid a national conversation about college affordability, as many universities face rising operational costs and lower enrollment numbers due to the “enrollment cliff.”
According to Education Data, rising tuition costs are normal; on average, private institutions raise tuition costs by 2-3% yearly.
Moravian is no different; due to recent financial concerns, many positions have been eliminated or will not be reinstated. Departments, such as Global Religions, worry about their fate at Moravian.
According to President Bryon Grigsby, many private colleges are holding or freezing tuition to avoid enrollment loss; however, this puts them at a larger financial risk and deficit.
Moravian is currently investing heavily in capital improvements, most visibly the ongoing HUB renovations. While these projects are designed to enhance campus appeal and draw potential students, many wonder why long-standing maintenance issues in residence halls and academic buildings, like aging HVAC systems, outdated furnishings, and accessibility concerns, remain unresolved.
“I know tuition’s increasing because of the HUB, but South needs money, and North gets all the pieces of the pie,” said political science major, Calvin Deifer ‘26.
At the same time, funding continues to support athletic facilities and recruitment. Athletics can boost enrollment, but smaller academic departments report shrinking budgets, fewer course offerings, and uncertainty around future staffing.
The contrast is difficult to ignore: aesthetic upgrades and large-scale construction move forward, while day-to-day academic resources feel strained. Students are watching which priorities win out.
“It’s crazy that the school preaches education for all and accessibility in the words of John Amos Comenius, but then they raise the tuition so that education is not accessible,” said political science major Sam Meola ‘27.
