The University of North Carolina System’s Board of Governors is scheduled to roll into Raleigh on Feb. 25-26 with two of the year’s hottest flashpoints on the docket: a package of campus tuition proposals and a systemwide definition of academic freedom. Governors could sign off on authority that lets campuses raise in-state undergraduate tuition for newly enrolled students by up to 3%, while several flagship schools are eyeing steeper hikes for out-of-state students. System officials estimate the combined changes would bring in roughly $49 million. The decisions would shape tuition, transparency rules and classroom protections for the 2026-27 academic year and have already drawn sharp criticism from faculty groups.
Tuition proposals aim to close budget gaps
Most campuses are staying within the guardrails the board laid out. Nine universities have requested 3% increases for newly enrolled in-state undergraduates, the maximum allowed this year. UNC-Chapel Hill trustees approved a 3% bump for North Carolina residents and a 10% jump for nonresidents, and NC State’s trustees have signaled similar 3% resident plans in their own meetings. As reported by WRAL, the full board is expected to weigh those proposals at its February meeting.
Campus winners and student costs
A campus-by-campus breakdown shows real money on the line. UNC-Chapel Hill’s plan is projected to generate about $16.8 million in additional revenue, with NC State looking at roughly $7.7 million and North Carolina Central about $1.2 million if their requests clear the board. For students, the numbers translate into higher bills for next year’s North Carolina high-school seniors: an estimated $264 more in combined tuition and fees at UNC-Chapel Hill, $215 at NC State and $197 at NCCU for newly enrolled students. Those figures reflect both tuition and mandatory fee changes and would apply only to new enrollees under current system rules, according to The News & Observer.
Academic freedom definition heads to the full board
Money is not the only sensitive topic on the agenda. In January, a governance committee signed off on amendments to Section VI of The Code that would add what officials are calling a “practical working definition” of academic freedom, then sent the language to the full board on the consent agenda. Supporters say the move is meant to clarify the line between legitimate classroom inquiry and partisan advocacy. Critics counter that the new wording could tighten the leash on what professors can say. The committee’s action advanced the proposal to the full board, as reported by Inside UNC Charlotte.
Faculty and transparency fights are intensifying
Faculty groups are not sitting this one out. The American Association of University Professors and its campus chapters have pushed back on the academic freedom changes and on a separate draft regulation that would treat course syllabi as public records. Critics say that combination could chill classroom teaching and leave instructors exposed to political targeting. Petitions and legal warning letters have been circulating statewide in recent weeks, according to The Assembly.
Legal implications…