The entrance of FAMU’s CASS Building. (Ashley Bigbee/FAMUAN)
For the first time in 13 years, Florida A&M University has raised its tuition rates by 15% for out-of-state non-resident, graduate and law students, slated to be effective in the fall of 2026.
The increase comes as the university seeks to adhere to a State University System-wide increase that was voted on by the Board of Governors on June 18 to increase out-of-state fees by 10% for the fall 2025 semester and by 15% for the fall 2026 semester.
In a statement released by FAMU Communications, the university made the decision to opt out of the fall 2025 increase to “give families more time to plan for a 15% increase in Fall 2026.”
“The increase will be used to meet increasing operation demands, maintain student services, enhance the student learning environment, and ensure that all students make an equitable contribution towards the escalating cost of instruction,” acting Chief Financial Officer Nichole Murray said in an Aug. 15 press release.
The university’s compliance with the increase comes after a contentious presidential search and shaky financial findings discovered in a March 2025 auditor general’s report from the previous fiscal year. While FAMU says it will maintain its commitment to affordability, many alumni speculate that this will heavily affect the recruitment of “the best and brightest” of the out-of-state population housed at FAMU.
The energy of the student section remains high at a FAMU football game. (Ashley Bigbee/FAMUAN)
The student body, including graduate and law students, currently consists of about 23.89% out-of-state students, while Board of Governors Regulation 7.006 sets the rate of out-of-state students at 10%. According to the Tallahassee Democrat, a spokesperson from the Board of Governors confirmed that the cap is not 10% for these students and universities.
While FAMU does not have to officially limit their number of out-of-state students, the university is evaluated by the Board of Governors’ performance-based funding model. Within the 10 metrics set by the board, universities must maintain their current ratios of in-state to out-of-state students and not displace resident students for higher-paying, nonresident applicants.
No official cuts to out-of-state recruitment efforts have been confirmed. However, in the released presidential recruitment tour dates for fall 2025, the tour will only visit Atlanta, Georgia, once during the semester—a noticeable difference from the tour schedule in 2022 which has two visits to Georgia, both Atlanta and Macon, in the month of September alone.
The official price per credit for out-of-state undergraduate students at FAMU will increase from $549 to $606, $1,022 to $1,110 for graduate students and $1,097 to $1,189 for law students.
Students gather together in the Grand Ballroom. (Ashley Bigbee/FAMUAN)