The New School is increasing tuition across all degree programs by 3.9% for the 2025-2026 academic year. The university will continue to provide its offset grant for students who were enrolled during the 2022 part-time faculty strike.

A university-wide announcement sent out Mar. 17 stated that the decision was made in order to “maintain the quality” of current university services, taking into account “inflation and other rising costs.” 

Currently, the average annual tuition for full-time undergraduate students is approximately $52,000. The increase would bring the average to over $54,000.

The cost of tuition and fees for undergraduate students has increased by an average of 2.8% every year over the past five years, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Last spring, TNS raised its tuition by 4.3%. 

Last year, the average cost of attendance — including housing, food, and fees — was $90,400 for New School undergraduates who didn’t live with their families, on or off campus. In the announcement, the university said, “We are mindful that paying for college is a significant investment and a challenge … and we consider carefully what we ask our students and families to invest in a New School degree.” 

The school said it would continue to provide merit and need-based aid to students but did not say whether the financial support would be enhanced like it was in spring 2024. TNS also encouraged students to look into its Financial Aid and Scholarship Advising resources and advised U.S. citizens and permanent residents to complete the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

However, the Trump administration has threatened federal funding to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and, consequently, the Federal Student Aid Office, which oversees student loans and financial aid disbursement. Earlier this week, over 300 workers were laid off from the office during a 50% cut of the ED’s workforce. A day later, many users reported outages and technical issues when attempting to complete their FAFSA. President Trump also threatened to pull federal funding to universities with diversity programs and those that allow “illegal protests.” 

The university said in its announcement, “ensuring the mission and future of The New School is our highest priority, and we remain focused on the university’s commitment to innovate, educate, and inform.”