Maryland Colleges Raised Tuition Again. See How Much.: Maryland Colleges Raised Tuition Again. Here’s What Students Will Pay This Fall.
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Maryland families got another unwelcome piece of mail this year. Tuition is going up again at public colleges and universities across the state, and for many students, the increases arrive at a time when the cost of living is already squeezing household budgets from every direction.
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The increases vary by school, but no institution in the University System of Maryland came away without some kind of hike.
How much prices climbed at each school
The University System of Maryland, which oversees 12 degree-granting institutions, approved tuition increases for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Board of Regents signed off on the changes earlier this year, citing rising operational costs, inflation, and the need to maintain academic programming.
Here is what in-state undergraduate students can expect to pay in tuition and mandatory fees at the major campuses:
| Institution | 2024–25 Tuition & Fees | 2025–26 Tuition & Fees | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Maryland, College Park | ~$11,505 | ~$11,850 | ~$345 |
| Towson University | ~$10,138 | ~$10,542 | ~$404 |
| University of Maryland Baltimore County | ~$13,626 | ~$14,072 | ~$446 |
| Salisbury University | ~$9,800 | ~$10,150 | ~$350 |
| Bowie State University | ~$8,710 | ~$9,010 | ~$300 |
| Frostburg State University | ~$9,200 | ~$9,530 | ~$330 |
| University of Maryland Eastern Shore | ~$8,900 | ~$9,200 | ~$300 |
*Figures represent in-state undergraduate tuition and mandatory fees. Room, board, and other costs are separate.*
The percentage increases generally fall in the 3 to 4 percent range, which tracks with recent years but still represents hundreds of additional dollars per student annually.
Why the increases keep coming
State funding for higher education has not kept pace with what it costs to run a university. That gap has to be filled somewhere, and for decades the answer has been the same: students and families pay more.
Maryland lawmakers did allocate additional funding to higher education in the most recent budget cycle, and the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future continues to direct money toward K-12 education. But four-year colleges and community colleges still face pressure from rising health care costs for employees, deferred maintenance on aging facilities, and competition for faculty salaries.
University officials have pointed out that Maryland’s in-state tuition rates remain below the national average for public four-year institutions, which sits around $11,600 per year in tuition alone. That context is real, but it offers limited comfort to a student working part-time to cover rent.
What this means for students on financial aid
Students who receive need-based aid through the Maryland Office of Student Financial Assistance may see some of that increase offset. Programs like the Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship and the Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant are tied to enrollment costs, which means award amounts can adjust when tuition rises.
That said, aid does not always scale in proportion to tuition increases. Students near income thresholds for aid eligibility are particularly vulnerable, since a small tuition jump can widen the gap between what aid covers and what they actually owe.
Anyone affected should contact their financial aid office directly before the fall semester begins. Award packages can sometimes be revised if a student’s financial situation has changed, and some campuses have emergency grant funds that go underutilized simply because students do not know to ask.
The bigger picture
Maryland is not alone. Tuition increases at public universities have become a near-annual tradition in most states, driven by the same structural pressures. What makes the current moment feel sharper is that students are also dealing with higher costs for housing, food, and transportation than they were even three or four years ago.
For families trying to plan, the practical advice is straightforward: check your specific institution’s tuition schedule directly through the bursar’s office, revisit your financial aid package, and look at whether any new scholarship cycles have opened. The increases are real, but so are the options for managing them, if you know where to look.
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