The Winthrop University Board of Trustees gathered in person and via Zoom for a called meeting on December 18, 2025, with several items of business. Much of the business centered on approving the academic year 2026-27 tuition and fees, with a goal the last couple of years of having those set in December in order for prospective students and families to have the information they need for their higher education planning.
Thanks to tuition mitigation funds from the S.C. Legislature, Winthrop students will see no increases in tuition for the academic year that begins in August 2026. Additionally, the Board of Trustees agreed to reduce the cost of its M.B.A. degree in order to align it with other graduate online programs. Members also voted to convert dual enrollment pricing to a credit hour basis to simplify and standardize the contracting for districts that fund such enrollments, tweaked how the university handles out-of-state waivers and approved a small increase to the WinthropLIFE program.
The university typically evaluates housing and meal plan pricing each year, and board members heard about the rationale for increases. Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs Kevin Butler noted that the cost of operating student housing continues to increase due to higher salaries, wages and benefit costs for staff. And yet the rates for student housing continue to lag as compared to the cost of off-campus housing. Board members agreed to the administration’s recommendation to increase all campus-based housing by 3 percent, in addition to the same increase for the lease with the Walk 2 Campus apartments.
The university’s contract with its new food services provider, Chartwells Higher Education, stipulates that its meal plans will be consistent with the Consumer Price Index for Food Away from Home. The latest index report is a 3.7 percent increase, so the university suggested, and board members supported, a 3.7 percent increase to be applied to the meal portion of the meal plan, leaving the Café Cash portion of the meal plan as is so to maintain the value of each plan.
Provost Sebastian van Delden proposed a new fee schedule for 88 classes for the 2026-27 academic year. These fees include consumables such as lab and art supplies, as well as specialized software and art models. Depending on the course, modifications included increases, reductions or eliminations of fees.
Regarding fees for university services, there was a previously approved board recommendation to create a new $24 per credit hour fee to launch First Day Complete, a program that will fund all course materials for students beginning in fall 2026. The new fee table also includes a $2 increase for transcript requests, a planned 10 percent increase in rates for the Macfeat Early Childhood Laboratory School program, and the elimination of the diploma fee, which had previously funded Commencement. The cost of the ceremonies will become a non-discretionary expense in the university’s budget, Butler said.
In other action, the Board of Trustees:
*Approved two degrees--a Bachelor of Science in health sciences and Bachelor of Arts in art history and museum professions.
*Voted on architectural firms for the Dacus Library and Dinkins Hall renovations. McMillan Pazdan Smith won the $299,557 contract for work at Dacus, while Cooper Carry’s payment for Dinkins will not exceed $280,000.
You can read more about this board action in the resolutions that have been posted online. Thank you for your interest in the activities of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees.
Sincerely,
Edward
Edward A. Serna
President
