YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees has proposed adjusting full-time student fees and tuition rates up to 3%, which could take effect starting in fiscal year 2027 that begins this fall.

Tuition and state funding continue to be the primary drivers in attracting highly qualified faculty, YSU President Bill Johnson said after Thursday’s regular quarterly trustees meeting in Tod Hall.

He noted that the state determines whether universities can increase tuition rates.

As a result, 3% increases could be reflected in YSU’s associate and bachelor’s degree programs for undergraduates.

For Ohio residents seeking associate degrees, the current tuition is $3,275.40, which may increase to $3,373.68 in fiscal year 2027. For nonresidents, the current and proposed rate is $3,455.40, which, under the proposal, would increase to $3,553.68, according to the resolution.

Undergrad residents in YSU’s bachelor’s degree programs pay $5,668 per semester. Under the proposal, their tuition would be $5,858.64, a 3% increase.

Nonresidents in the bachelor’s degree programs have a tuition rate of $5,868, and it could increase to $6,038.64 in FY 2027, a 2.9% increase, according to the resolution.

Graduate students who are Ohio residents in the university’s master’s- and doctorate-level programs pay $6,983.28 and $7,379.76, respectively. Under the proposal, their rates would increase to $7,192.68 and $7,601.16, both of which reflect 3% tuition increases.

Nonresidents in those two sets of programs pay $7,163.28 and $7,559.76, which would increase to $7,372.68 and $7,781.16, the resolution shows. Both proposed increases are slightly more than 2.9%.

The 3% increases would apply only to incoming new YSU students. The YSU Penguin Tuition Promise assures a student and his/her family a fixed tuition rate for the pursuit of an undergraduate degree at the university. A student’s tuition rate is established based on first enrollment and remains unchanged for four consecutive academic years

In his report, Johnson gave a glowing overview of the university’s economic status, saying that YSU is fiscally sound and that construction work on Kilcawley Center is on schedule for the student center to reopen in September 2027.

Calling YSU “the anchor institution of opportunity,” Johnson said that even as enrollment continues to increase, “we still need to cast a wider net,” largely because of a smaller pool of potential students, the result of population decreases.

In addition, efforts are continuing to upgrade the university’s online and information infrastructures, the president noted.

Johnson also said that he hopes in-person classes will get underway this fall at YSU’s Steubenville campus. An open house is set for April 25 at the site, he added.

Also at the session Wednesday, Ryan J. Roberts, an associate professor of criminal justice, gave a presentation in which he outlined a few researched perspectives regarding gangs and the threats some of them pose nationally. Specifically, Roberts discussed how he examined the nexus between certain gangs and terrorist organizations and their threats to the nation’s security apparatus.

In his talk, Roberts also briefly discussed political influences on some gangs.