Tuition freeze was not best for »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ, president says
By: ALEXIS WILSON
May 06, 2025
President Dwaun J. Warmack takes questions on April 24. (Panther photo by Alexis Wilson)
“I think it was the best decision I thought as a leader would have been for our institution,” the ninth president of »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ said.
Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack addressed a 2025-26 tuition increase during a meeting with Panther reporters on April 24. Students were notified of the hike, which will be about $700 a semester, through a letter sent to their »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ email accounts on April 15.
When Warmack became president in 2019, he made it a mission not to increase tuition for five years.
“Every year from 2010 to 2019, we had a small tuition increase just like every other school. So I got here and I made a commitment that we were not going to raise tuition for five years,” Warmack said.
Against the backdrop of inflation since 2019, Warmack said following through on that commitment was not best.
“It's almost crippled this university. We have not been able to keep up with inflation. We have not been able to keep up with any cost adjustments that are there,” Warmack said.
Warmack said he "takes full responsibility for that as a leader.” If he could go back, he would not have made the decision.
“If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have done that … I think it was the best decision I thought as a leader would have been for our institution, but it puts us in an interesting space…,” Warmack said.
Warmack said the increase is not going toward new buildings, but toward operational costs.
"Utilities, everything, none of that changes what the operation costs, and those rates go up, so that's where the tuition increase goes. It doesn't go to funding buildings, it just goes to simple operational cost," Warmack said.
Warmack compared Clark Atlanta’s tuition to »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ's, stressing »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ’s affordability.
“Tuition at Clark Atlanta is $48,000. We are around here lowballing at $26,000 for the year, and they’re $26,000 per semester and they're not getting half the quality that we're getting. … Then we looked at every private school in South Carolina and were still in the lowest threshold, Warmack said.
Warmack addressed the concern that the tuition increase may cause barriers for low-income and first-generation students.
“Education is an investment … and sometimes we have to invest in ourselves. … I think our tuition structure is still low and affordable… that’s why we only did 5%,” Warmack said.
Warmack said »Æ¹ÏÊÓƵ will still assist students with tuition by providing scholarships. According to the president, the institution offers $6 million in institutional aid annually.