ATU approves budget, tuition increase

The Arkansas Tech University Board of Trustees recently approved a balanced 2026-27 fiscal year operating budget for the Russellville-based university. A tuition increase also was approved.

The $170.944 million budget includes an increase of $832,800 in state appropriation to ATU for fiscal year 2027 and a $242,246 increase in fiscal year 2027 designated state aid for Arkansas Tech Career Center, according to the university.

ATU’s fiscal year 2027 budget accounts for an anticipated increase in health insurance costs and increases in utilities due to the increased cost of electricity.

Tuition and fees on the ATU campus in Russellville will increase 2.56% in fiscal year 2027 as compared to fiscal year 2026. Tuition and mandatory fees for an undergraduate student enrolled in 15 hours at Arkansas Tech in Russellville during the 2026-27 academic year will be $5,244 per semester.

“To state it simply, it will cost an additional $130.80 per semester for an undergraduate student to attend Arkansas Tech in Russellville next year as compared to the 2025-26 academic year,” Dr. Russell Jones, ATU president, said in a statement. “We would much prefer a zero increase, but the reality of inflationary pressures, particularly in the realms of utilities and insurance, did not make that possible this year.”

Graduate tuition and mandatory fees at ATU in Russellville will also increase by 2.56% in 2026-27, while tuition for the career education and skilled trades programs offered at ATU-Ozark will increase $4.20 per student semester credit hour (SSCH) from $140.09 per SSCH in 2025-26 to $144.29 per SSCH in 2026-27.