Tuition costs have been steadily increasing across the country amid economic challenges.
Ferris State has not been exempt from these changes, with the estimated total for all undergraduate student expenses being equated to $29,817.
Student expenses include the price of tuition, room and board, meal plans, university and technological fees and other estimated expenses, such as books and supplies.
In documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, undergraduate student expenses have increased $3,113 since 2022.
In 2022, undergraduate student expenses totaled $26,704.
Undergraduate students enrolled in the 25-26 year can expect to pay $852 per credit hour for freshman and sophomores, and $909 per credit hour for junior and senior year.
Comparatively, freshman and sophomores were reported to have paid $765 per credit hour and juniors and seniors were reported to have paid $815 a credit hour.
Graduate student rates have seen a limited increase as well, projected to pay $797 per credit hour for the 2025-2026 academic year.
That is an $86 increase from the 2022-2023 academic year.
Most of the cost increases in student expenses come from housing and dining costs.
Dining and housing costs with a platinum meal pan have increased by $1,420 alone between 2022 and 2025.
Tuition prices have been steadily increasing across the country over the last ten years as the economy has shifted.
Now, the future of student expenses hangs in the balance as public funding continues to be diverted elsewhere or cancelled all together.
Associate Vice President of Communications David Murray explained that Ferris works to provide students with scholarships to assist with rising costs.
“The university has provided about 5,200 scholarships worth nearly $20 million in the past year,” Murray said. “It also makes sure students can access federal and state scholarships and connects them with Scholarship Universe. We want to ensure Ferris State is affordable so we can help more people gain the skills they need to change their lives.”
Financial Aid declined to comment on this article.
Architecture sophomore Kenna Barber explained that while her program is expensive, the opportunities that Ferris provides makes the money worth it.
“My degree is very expensive going into,” Barber said. “But with that, we also get to go on trips. It’s a part of what we shoot for. Our juniors and seniors are going to Miami in a week. I’m going to Detroit for a little bit. So, my tuition is a little bit more expensive because I’m paying for that.”
Earlier this year, Ferris was designated as a ‘Opportunity University’ by Carnegie Classifications.
The designation was provided based upon how the university develops opportunities for its students.
Social work senior Autumn Kailing expressed discontent over having to pay for student resources on campus that she does not utilize.
“There’s just some things that I don’t use here at Ferris, like the Birkham Health Center,” Kailing said. “I live in Big Rapids, so I don’t need all that. I’m kind of paying for what I don’t use.”
Students can opt out of these fees when they accept their financial aid, but that is the only way to avoid paying for resources that will go unused.
Tuition rates for the 2026-2027 academic year remain unknown, but may see a slight increase if trends from previous years are to be followed.