By Joel Grimsley, Arts Editor
Saint Thomas Aquinas Statue – Photo by Joel Grimsley
On Tue. Feb 18. Aquinas College announced in an email the new tuition rates for the 2025–2026 academic year.
The email informed students that beginning in the fall semester of 2025, the new tuition rate for undergraduate students taking 12-20 credit hours will now become $20,596 per semester, compared to the $19,709 per semester that students pay currently. This is part of a broader update to the college’s cost structure, which also includes revised fees for housing and board and the summer term.
The email that was sent out to all students did not specify that there was an increase, only that there was “new tuition rates.” In reality tuition has increased by 4.5% ($887 per semester), the same percentage that it increased by from 2023-24 to 2024-25 ($18,860 to $19,709).
The college has also announced a new reduced tuition rate for the upcoming summer term. Summer classes will be offered at $225 (from $588) per credit hour, and the college is providing apartment housing at a cost of $1,600 for the summer academic term, which is May 17 to July 27.
Prices of tuition as seen on the school website for the 2025-26 academic year – screenshot by Joel Grimsley
The announcement of the tuition increase has sparked reactions from students. Sophomore Lexi Nutter said “I think it’s stupid because when you come here, you’re given a set amount that you’re going to be paying. A lot of people are coming here on scholarships, and you’re still only getting that amount of money. And because it seems to be increasing every single year, it just cancels out.” Nutter’s concerns reflect broader fears about the increasing cost of higher education and the potential impact on students’ financial aid packages.
Freshman Zachery Miller defended the school’s position to increase tuition rates, and said “every college had been struggling very hard during Covid. I mean, Aquinas must have been in debt to stay running. And it sounds like now they’re fine. They must be no longer adding debt and they’re paying it off at a good rate. Which is good because we don’t want our school to be in debt because they might not be here or they might have to get rid of programs”
Aquinas has yet to clarify whether tuition increase is due to inflation or other reasons, but new rates for housing have also been announced. For more details on the updated rates and the 2025-2026 school year, students and prospective students can visit the Aquinas College website.
The Saint 