Editor’s Note: This story has been revised to include proper details on the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Applied Science in Insurance Studies programs.
Kent State’s Board of Trustees met for its quarterly session on Wednesday. The board discussed the budget and policies for operations within the university.
Tuition and Budget
Tuition will remain the same for most students at Kent State, but incoming freshmen will see a three percent increase. Meal plans and housing options will be affected by the increase. For example, the price for a double room on campus will be nearly four percent higher for incoming students than it was for this year’s freshmen.
The Blue Plan, the most popular meal plan for students, will see a price increase of just over two percent.
Tuition at Kent State is locked for four years. Only new and incoming students will experience the new costs.
The university’s budget, which is 1.6 percent lower than the previous year’s, was approved at its set $711.6 million for the 2027 fiscal year.
Changes to Degree Programs
Under Transformation 2028, the current College of the Arts and College of Communication and Information will merge, forming the College of Design, Media and the Arts, effective Fall 2027.
The College of Design, Media and the Arts will “unite seven nationally accredited schools across art, fashion, music, theatre, media and emerging technology into a single interdisciplinary hub serving more than 3,000 undergraduate and 250 graduate students,” according to the board.
In addition to this, T28 will also relocate the current Nutrition Outreach center — from the College of Education, Health and Human Services to the College of Public Health and Health Sciences — beginning next semester.
Students studying away in New York for the fashion program will now have access to studios longer due to an extended lease that was just authorized. The board says that students will now be eligible for a longer rent credit.
Ohio’s SB1 requires degree programs with low enrollment to be discontinued or sunsetted. The Board of Trustees approved the discontinuation of four degree programs at the meeting, effective next semester.
The programs approved in the decision include the Bachelor of Science Insurance Studies, Bachelor of Arts Music, Philosophy and Plant Biology. The university will continue to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science in Insurance Studies and music as a major in the Bachelor of Music program.
Ari Collins is a staff writer. Contact her at [email protected].
