Northern Michigan University's Board of Trustees has approved 2025-26 tuition and fee rates that support contractual obligations, healthcare costs and investment in financial aid. The cost of attending NMU also will remain competitive, continuing as second-most affordable among the state's 15 public institutions.
The average resident undergraduate will pay $7,564 per semester beginning this fall, an increase of $367 per semester. Graduate tuition will increase by $36 per credit. All tuition rates can be found at nmu.edu/tuition.
“Because the state budget process has not been finalized, we developed this tuition structure around proposed budgets,” said Gavin Leach, vice president for Finance and Administration and interim president starting July 1. “We are also in compliance with the tuition restraint cap in both the House and Senate versions. If that cap is lowered in the final state budget, we will adjust tuition and fees accordingly.”
Leach said NMU is currently planning for strategic investments to remove barriers to student access, the university will boost its support of financial aid and scholarships. This includes additional support for Northern's need-based aid and scholarship programs and the relatively new Tuition Advantage, a “last dollar” scholarship that covers the remaining balance after federal, state and institutional funding is applied.
According to Leach, the university also continues to invest significantly in faculty and staff, with funding targeted for annual contractual salary and benefits cost increases and dollars for recently added student success and academic positions.
“Other increases factored into the tuition model include lab and classroom supplies; inflationary adjustments for software, supplies and travel; and debt service for new academic facilities,” Leach added. “All of these enhance the teaching and learning environment at Northern.”
“We appreciate the budget development efforts that are focused on our students and moving the university forward,” said Missie Holmquist, vice chair and chair of the board's finance committee.
Trustees also approved a union contract with the Command Officers Association of Michigan (COAM) and ratified the interim president contract.