By Jai’Michael Anderson
Kentucky resident underclassmen at the University of Louisville will pay a 3.5% increase in tuition for the 2025-2026 academic year. The price hike will cost them $13,390.
John Karman, UofL Interim Vice President of Communications and Marketing, confirmed this in an email sent to the Louisville Cardinal, June 27.
The decision was made in the Board of Trustees’ approval of the 2026 fiscal year budget. In a university-wide email, President Gerry Bradley referenced shifts in federal support to justify the hike.
“The coming year’s budget was developed against a challenging backdrop of uncertain federal support, the loss of some research funding, and transformative changes in athletics,” said Bradley.
This uncertainty is not a sudden occurrence. The set of Executive Orders issued earlier this year by United States President Donald Trump has kept the university’s administration on its toes.
Notably, changes in funding from the National Institute of Health, the federal government’s primary agency for biomedical and public health research, caused a university-wide hiring freeze in February and cut around $1 million in research funding in June.
Along with the tuition increase, Bradley stated that Athletics will also implement a student fee beginning this fall to support student-athlete services and student experiences.
“These were difficult decisions for us, understanding that finances remain the main obstacle to students pursuing higher education.”
He says the university will continue to support the affordability with additional general funds for financial aid totalling $14.1 million. The Cardinal Commitment, Global Cardinal Scholarship and Border Benefit programs will also receive continued support.
The listed programs offer tuition assistance for incoming freshmen with financial need, high-achieving international undergraduate students and out-of-state students from specific areas bordering Kentucky.
Graduate students will see benefits too. According to Bradley, they can expect a $1,000 stipend in their fourth consecutive year of a four-year commitment.
He also stated the university is making a continued effort to retain valuable faculty and staff.
“We will implement a 2.5 percent compensation pool, effective July 1, 2025,” said Bradley. “Current employee retirement contributions will continue (7.5 percent automatic, plus 2.5 percent match) as well as 75 percent employer coverage of health insurance and 100 percent tuition remission for eligible employees and dependents.”
Bradley went on to provide updates on a few financial developments, including the creation of a $10 million cybersecurity center and continued funding for faculty mentoring.
“We continue to utilize over $300 million from the Kentucky General Assembly for asset preservation and new construction projects,” he said. “New investments will continue our focus on updating classrooms and labs in high-use areas, making safety improvements to roofs, HVAC and mechanical systems and upgrading our chilled water plant.”
The University is also beginning the design phase of the $280 million Health Sciences Campus Simulation Center and Collaboration Hub announced in 2024.
File photo / The Louisville Cardinal
