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Several private colleges have announced lower published undergraduate tuition prices, but a lower sticker price does not necessarily mean every student will pay less. Emory & Henry, Concordia University, St. Paul, and the University of Tulsa have announced different changes for different student groups and academic years. Their examples show why families need to compare the full aid offer and total cost—not tuition headlines alone.
Why are colleges cutting their published tuition?
The colleges cite the sticker price as a barrier to being considered or enrolling. Concordia University, St. Paul said that “Tuition costs and anticipated debt after graduation are key drivers that keep many prospective students from enrolling in college.” Emory & Henry says its lower published price, alongside scholarships and financial aid, is intended to help more students see the university as within reach. Those are the institutions’ stated rationales, not independent findings about why students choose a college.
High list prices can also be hard to interpret when grants bring many students’ actual tuition payments below the advertised rate. The National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) reports that institutional grants covered an average of 63.3% of tuition and fees for first-time undergraduates and 59.2% for all undergraduates at participating private nonprofit colleges in 2024–25. These figures describe the study participants; they do not guarantee an award to an applicant or count how many colleges cut their published prices. NACUBO’s 2026 release also reports that inflation-adjusted average net tuition and fee revenue per first-time, full-time undergraduate at participants fell 2.2% from 2023–24 to 2024–25; the decline for all undergraduates was 1.9%.
The available announcements do not establish how many U.S. colleges cut tuition in 2026, whether student reluctance caused each change, or whether the cuts will increase applications, enrollment, retention, or graduation. These are notable individual pricing strategies, not proof of a nationwide trend or a demonstrated enrollment effect.
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What have the three colleges announced?
The announcements are not directly comparable offers: they differ in year, eligible students, whether required fees are included, and how aid is treated.
| College | Published-price change | Who and when | What the figure does—and does not—mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emory & Henry University | Undergraduate tuition falls from $39,975 to $19,990. | New and returning full-time undergraduates, starting fall 2026. | The university says it will adjust scholarships and financial aid proportionally, leaving returning students’ tuition paid after aid unchanged. The published figure is tuition, not housing, meals, fees, books, or an individual student’s total bill. Emory & Henry’s tuition Q&A explains the policy. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul | Announced a $5,500 (20%) reduction, setting tuition at $21,700. | Traditional on-campus undergraduates, starting fall 2027. | The university says the new nominal rate matches its 2006 tuition and is near Minnesota public university rates; these are the institution’s comparisons. It identifies sticker shock and anticipated debt as reasons for the reset. The announcement and Tuition Reset 2.0 page describe the change. |
| The University of Tulsa | Announced $25,000 for tuition and required fees. | New undergraduate entrants starting fall 2027; the rate is described as locked for four years. | President Stacy Leeds called this the maximum tuition-and-required-fee amount before federal, state, tribal, and university aid. The university says the published amount is intended to better reflect what many students already pay. Leeds’ announcement remarks state the terms. |
For Tulsa, Leeds said: “For undergraduate students entering in the fall of 2027, tuition and required fees will be $25,000 — and we are locking that rate for four years, so the price you enroll at is the same price through your on-time graduation.” The lock is the university’s stated term for that entering cohort; it should not be assumed to cover other students, degree formats, or living expenses.
Does a lower sticker price mean students pay less?
Not necessarily. Published tuition is the advertised tuition rate. A student’s net tuition is what remains after grants and scholarships are applied; it varies by student and aid package. College Board’s reported net-price measure subtracts average grant aid from published prices and includes students who received no grant aid. Net tuition is not the same as the total cost of attendance, which can include housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Grants and scholarships reduce charges; loans must be repaid, and work-study is earned through work.
Emory & Henry makes the distinction especially clear: although its published tuition drops for fall 2026, it says proportional aid adjustments will keep returning students’ tuition after aid the same. A student’s other charges and individual aid still affect the total amount due. For Tulsa, the $25,000 announcement includes required fees but not a complete cost-of-attendance figure. A tuition reduction can change one line of a bill without reducing every expense.
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Why can sticker prices rise while average net tuition falls?
Published rates and net prices measure different things. College Board’s 2025 figures show that private nonprofit four-year colleges had average published tuition and fees of $45,000 in 2025–26, up 4.0% from $43,250 in 2024–25 before inflation. Yet its estimated inflation-adjusted average net tuition and fees for first-time, full-time students in that sector fell from $19,810 in 2006–07 to $16,910 in 2025–26, in 2025 dollars.
For public four-year colleges, College Board estimated average inflation-adjusted net tuition and fees of $2,300 for in-state first-time, full-time students in 2025–26, down from a $4,450 peak in 2012–13, in 2025 dollars. These recent net-price figures are estimates: the report’s detailed grant-aid data run through 2022–23, so figures from 2023–24 onward use projections.
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Published tuition also differs by institution type and residency. College Board’s 2025–26 averages for full-time students were $11,950 in tuition and fees for in-state public four-year colleges, up $340 (2.9%) from 2024–25 before inflation, and $4,150 for in-district public two-year colleges, up $110 (2.7%). These national averages provide context, not a quote for any one student or school. See the College Board report summary and its 2025 report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should families compare what colleges will actually cost?
Start with the same academic year and student situation at each school. A published tuition figure or a national average cannot substitute for an individualized estimate and written aid offer. College Board estimated 2025–26 average undergraduate budgets—including tuition, fees, housing and food, and other expenses—of $30,990 for in-state students at public four-year colleges and $65,470 at private nonprofit four-year colleges. Those are sector averages, not personal prices, and a tuition cut alone does not reduce every budget component.
- Check eligibility and timing. Confirm the effective term, whether the rate applies to new or returning students, full-time status, and the specific program or degree format.
- Identify what the headline includes. Determine whether it is tuition only or tuition plus required fees. Add housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses when comparing annual budgets.
- Use the school’s net-price estimate, then examine the aid offer. Compare grants and scholarships separately from loans and work-study. A net-price estimate is a planning figure; the offer for the individual student is more specific.
- Read aid renewal terms. Check what a student must do to keep grants or scholarships in later years, whether amounts can change, and how any price lock interacts with aid and other charges.
- Compare the amount the family must cover. Look at the remaining annual bill and likely borrowing, not just the discount from a school’s former sticker price.
College Board Vice President of Research Jessica Howell said, “Grant aid reduces the actual cost of attending college and helps ease some of the financial strain on students and families.” NACUBO President and CEO Kara D. Freeman similarly urged families not to rule out a private college on sticker price alone, saying that participating private colleges make grants available to many students. Neither statement promises that a particular applicant will receive aid; the individual estimate and offer are what matter.
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