FAU proposes nonresident fee hike and annual housing rent increases

Florida Atlantic University is proposing a 10% increase to certain fees paid by nonresident students, along with annual increases to campus housing rents. Both proposals remain subject to Board of Trustees approval. The fee changes would take effect in fall 2027 if approved.

The 10% figure applies to the nonresident fee component, not every part of a student’s bill. FAU’s regulation notice separately lists changes to the student financial aid fee, and those changes are not uniformly 10%. Florida resident tuition and fees would remain unchanged under the proposal, according to the university.

For undergraduates, the proposed nonresident fee rises from $567.94 to $624.73 per credit hour, an increase of $56.79. The separate student financial aid fee for nonresidents rises from $33.65 to $36.49 per credit hour. The schedule’s listed total moves from $799.72 to $859.35 per credit hour, a $59.63 increase. FAU’s notice cautions that the schedule does not include every fee students may be charged.

For graduate students, the nonresident fee would rise from $717.37 to $789.11 per credit hour, while the student financial aid fee would move from $51.05 to $54.64. The listed total would increase from $1,125.06 to $1,200.39 per credit hour, or $75.33. The regulation says the nonresident fee would be $0 for graduate students with an assistantship of at least 0.25 full-time equivalent or a full fellowship.

The College of Medicine schedule lists annual nonresident tuition and fees rising from $73,382.95 to $77,539.29, an increase of $4,156.34. Within that total, the annual nonresident fee would move from $39,584.15 to $43,542.57, and the nonresident student financial aid fee from $3,384.76 to $3,582.68. The schedule also excludes fees that may be charged separately.

Housing is a separate proposal from the tuition regulation. FAU says it will ask trustees to approve a 3% increase in housing rental rates in each of the next three academic years to support residence hall improvements and services. The university has not published proposed room-by-room dollar rates, so the percentage cannot yet be translated into a reliable new price for a particular residence hall.

FAU says the fee and rent proposals respond to rising instruction and operating costs. If the fee proposal is approved, the Office of Student Financial Aid says it will contact affected students about assistance options. The announcement does not identify specific programs or award amounts and does not promise that aid would offset a student’s increase.

The regulation notice is dated Oct. 16 and says written comments should be submitted within 14 days. It names Itzel Ordonez in the Office of the General Counsel and lists GeneralCounsel@fau.edu. The notice gives no cutoff hour or explicit calendar deadline; counting 14 calendar days from Oct. 16 points to Oct. 30, but students should confirm the applicable cutoff with the university. FAU may seek more comments, hold a hearing, modify or withdraw the proposal, or proceed toward adoption.

FAU’s Oct. 20 announcement says trustees are scheduled to consider both proposals at a full Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 10 a.m. on the Boca Raton campus. The Board’s future-meetings list includes Nov. 17, although its page still labels a September meeting as the “Next Meeting.” No Nov. 17 agenda item was visible in the current public listing, so the university’s announcement remains the source for the proposed consideration date.

Until trustees act, the changes are proposed charges, not adopted rates. Students can compare the regulation’s category-specific figures with their own credit loads, review separate housing information with FAU Housing and Residential Education, and send comments to General Counsel. Final costs will depend on the schedule ultimately approved and on other fees not included in the notice.

Photo: FAU Sign NW 20th St, KnightLago. Resized and lightly tone-adjusted. Adapted photo licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.