Western Kentucky University says tuition rates won't change

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) - Western Kentucky University doesn’t plan to change tuition rates for the first time in 40 years, officials said.

Regents at the school in Bowling Green voted Wednesday to keep tuition prices for the coming year the same as they were for the 2019-20 school year, the university said in a statement. The last time tuition was held flat was for the 1979-80 school year, the statement said.

University President Timothy C. Caboni said the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative financial impact on many students and keeping tuition rates flat can help ease their burden.

Undergraduate tuition for a full-time residential student is $5,401 per semester while graduate students pay $607 per credit hour.

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education must now approve the tuition rate.

Regents also waived a distance learning surcharge fee of $150 per credit hour for full-time students who enroll in online classes.