Trustees endorse 14th consecutive tuition freeze while approving 2%+0.5% faculty and staff salary increase

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (April 4) endorsed President Mung Chiang’s request for a 14th consecutive tuition freeze and approved his faculty and staff salary policy request for fiscal year 2026 for the main campus with a 2% recurring increase, plus a 0.5% nonrecurring recognition of exceptional employee contributions.

“Purdue is in a unique position in American higher education: We can continue freezing tuition and maximize student access as a land-grant institution while simultaneously maintaining our commitment to the dedicated faculty and staff vital to achieving excellence at scale,” Chiang said. “At a time when many universities have chosen salary freezes or reduction in workforce, Purdue is in a strong position financially to make salary investments to recognize the capabilities of its workforce and further improve its competitiveness in recruiting top talent.”

Tuition freeze

The freeze of core tuition and mandatory fees — to be formally approved by trustees in late spring 2025 per state statute, after the legislative budget setting — means Purdue students will see no increase in tuition through at least the 2026-27 academic year. Base undergraduate tuition will remain at $9,992 per year for Indiana residents and $28,794 for out-of-state students through 2026-27.

Trustees chair Gary Lehman said, “It may seem like we automatically approve annual tuition freezes, but I assure you that is not the case. When they are presented, we thoroughly and thoughtfully consider them, working closely with the Office of the Treasurer to ensure they are feasible. We are pleased to endorse President Chiang’s request.”

Purdue’s base tuition will be a third less than the projected Big Ten average in 2026-27.

President Emeritus Mitch Daniels first announced a tuition freeze in spring 2013 shortly after he became president. Before that, Purdue tuition had increased every year since 1976, and it rose an average of nearly 6% annually from 2002-12.

By 2026-27, 12 graduating classes will have never experienced a tuition increase during their time at Purdue.

Per usual, other student fees are under review, and the full 2025-26 and 2026-27 fee schedule will be announced for public review in May.

Faculty and staff salary policy

Except for the pandemic year of 2020-21, Purdue has offered a merit increase every year since 2010. In November 2020 more than 15,000 employees received a one-time appreciation award of $750.

The university’s composite increase from FY22-26 is the highest over a five-year period in at least the last quarter century. The three-year compounded increase for FY23-25 was 11.4%.

Merit increases will take effect July 1.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.