The UT Martin Advisory Board approved a 3% increase in in-state tuition at its meeting May 15 in the Boling University Center.
The budget now goes to the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees for final review and approval at the board’s annual meeting June 29-30 at UT Southern.
Petra McPhearson, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration, told the board prior to the vote that the increase would raise the yearly tuition cost to $9,338 and add an estimated $1.6 million for distribution to support the university priorities, assuming the enrollment remains at current enrollment levels. The tuition and fee revenue would be revisited when the fall 2026 enrollment becomes official.
The 3% in-state increase would affect undergraduate maintenance fees and mandatory fees and the graduate maintenance fee and mandatory fees. The dual enrollment rate will equal the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) Grant amount.
If approved by the UT Board of Trustees, the increases would be effective for the 2026-27 academic year.
Out-of-state increases for undergraduate maintenance fee and non-resident tuition are 1.8% and 1.9%, respectively, including mandatory fees. The graduate maintenance fee and non-resident tuition increase is 1.9% and is 2% overall with mandatory fees. There is no increase proposed to the non-resident tuition rate.
Other increases include a 5% increase in housing in the multi-year plan and a 3.8% increase in dining.
The total unrestricted projected budget for fiscal year 2026-27 is $149.9 million. The areas that get the most funding from that are instruction, which receives $54.4 million of the expenditures; auxiliary services, which receive $17.2 million; scholarships, which receive $17.1 million; and student services, which receive $17 million.
McPhearson also requested an increase in some mandatory fees for the 2026-27 budget.
“We would like to propose a $40 increase in the facilities fee to address the non-academic facilities and spaces,” she said. “The second portion of that is a $12 increase in the athletics fee to help address the rising costs to support the teams.”
McPhearson said the athletics fee has not had an increase in more than 12 years.
The board approved the budget requests by a 5-0 vote.
The board heard update reports on the new Business Administration Building, which is scheduled to be open in 2029 and located along Lovelace Avenue between University Street and Hurt Street. Demolition for the current Business Administration Building is tentatively scheduled for this November, with construction tentatively set to last through the spring of 2029.
The board also heard update reports for construction of a new residence facility to be located where Browning Hall is along Mount Pelia Road across from the Student Recreation Center. The three-story facility is planned to have 406 beds, community spaces, a community kitchen, a courtyard and meeting space.
Construction on the residence facility is scheduled to begin in late May or early June and open at the start of the fall 2028 semester.
The advisory board also heard the results of a University of Tennessee brand awareness and perception survey, conducted last year.
Other actions taken by the UT Martin Advisory Board include:
• The board voted 5-0 to accept Leah Repp, an upcoming senior cell and molecular biology major from Henderson, as the student representative, succeeding Darby Self, an upcoming senior mass media and strategic communication major from Oakland.
• The board voted 5-0 to accept meeting date changes for 2026 and 2027. Future UT Martin Advisory Board meetings will be held Sept. 25; Jan. 22, 2027; May 14, 2027; and Sept. 24, 2027.
PHOTO: UT Martin Advisory Board Chair Hal Bynum (left) and Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. are pictured at the UT Martin Advisory Board meeting held May 15 in the Boling University Center. The board approved a 3% across-the-board tuition increase.
