Stanford’s tuition will increase by 4% and room and board will increase by 4.25% for the 2022-23 school year, the Board of Trustees announced Thursday. This brings next year’s total undergraduate charges up from  $75,343 to $77,034.

Graduate program tuitions will also increase by 4%, though some professional programs may have smaller increases which will be posted on the registrar’s website.

Though Stanford’s tuition had increased at an average rate of 3.25% from 2010-2020, the Board of Trustees voted to keep tuition flat for the 2021-2022 year due to financial burdens placed on students and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Board of Trustees Chair Jerry Yang ’90 M.S. ’90 wrote to the Daily that the Board considered a range of options before deciding on an increase. 

According to an article in the Stanford Report, next year’s tuition increase will help manage inflationary pressures that many higher education institutions are facing because of the pandemic. For example, room and board revenue is directly used to support the operations of Residential & Dining Enterprises, which has experienced heightened costs because of COVID-19.

The tuition increase is worrying for those concerned about Stanford’s affordability. In response to a question about whether financial aid will offset the tuition increase for students with demonstrated need, Yang referenced the Board’s vote last year to expand qualification for free tuition, room and board to include those whose families make less than $75,000, up from the previous threshold of $65,000, and the Board’s vote in 2020 to make tuition free for families with an annual income below $150,000. 

“For families with demonstrated need, Stanford has continued a series of strong actions that shows the university’s commitment to need-based financial aid,” Yang wrote to the Daily.