Murray State leaders announced a 4.2% increase in tuition during the annual Budget Town Hall Meeting, as well as in student worker minimum wages and the technology fee on Wednesday, April 30.  

Jackie Dudley, senior vice president of Murray State, said at the meeting that the fixed tuition will be increasing by 4.2% for resident undergrad students. In dollars, this means an increase of $420 annually for the 2026 Fiscal Year, and then a $210 increase the next year.

Dudley also said the minimum student worker wages will be increasing from $8 an hour to $8.50 an hour. Dudley said this is definite and also applies to residential advisors in Residence Life. Dudley also said there will be an implementation of a 1.5% late fee on tuition payments, $50 flat rate monthly. 

Dudley also said there will be a new technology fee increase to fund new enhancements such as Google License improvements, enhanced email and systems security, select Wi-Fi enhancements, acoustical/sound system improvements in Fine Arts-Band Practice room and other locations, a retention app and contingency planning for tech stability in student focused areas. The fee increase is $200 per semester, from the original $100.

Bob Jackson, president of Murray State, said from a comprehensive university standpoint, the University does “quite well” in terms of funding, but could be better.

“We don’t think we get enough (allocated institutional funding from the state), so we are always working to try to get more of those funds,” Jackson said. “I’ll show you in just a second, we do quite well, but we don’t do as well as I wish we were doing.” 

To watch the full meeting, visit the link.