PITTSBURGH (TNS) — The University of Pittsburgh is again raising its cost of attendance, bringing base tuition fees for Pennsylvania students up to nearly $21,000.

Pitt trustees gave their unanimous stamp of approval to that price tag increase during a virtual board meeting Friday.

They also greenlit a $3.2 billion operating budget, which includes a research base of $1.2 billion; approved a salary increase for faculty and staff; and OK’ed a controlled hiring process, ending a four-month-long hiring freeze.

“In the wake of much uncertainty, this budget demonstrates our dedication to academic excellence, research leadership, fiscal responsibility and community support,” Pitt Chief Financial Officer Dwayne Pinkney said Friday.

The budget does include some “belt-tightening,” Chancellor Joan Gabel said. It comes as Pitt prepares to welcome yet another large freshman class. With more than 65,000 applications for the upcoming school year, Pitt has reported its fourth consecutive year of record-breaking applicant numbers.

“We are quite confident in the quality of the academic experience we’ll be able to offer thanks to the work we’re all doing together,” Gabel said.

‘Modest’ cost bumps for students

In-state undergraduate and graduate students at the university’s Oakland campus will pay 2% more for their Pitt education this upcoming school year.

For undergrads, that means their yearly costs will increase between about $400 and $700, depending on their major.

This bump is under the rate of inflation, Pinkney said.

Meanwhile, out-of-state students at the Pittsburgh campus will see a 4% tuition increase, paying undergraduate base costs of about $41,660 this school year.

And students at Pitt’s regional campuses will pay 1% more to attend locations in Greensburg, Johnstown, Bradford and Titusville.

Pitt had previously frozen regional campus tuition for the past two years. After this increase, regional student tuition will land between $11,680 and $17,670.

Gabel characterized the tuition increases as “modest” on Friday.

“We are only suggesting [tuition increases] as necessary to maintain the quality of our academic offerings,” she said.

In addition to tuition bumps, Pitt also increased its Oakland housing rates by about 6% and its dining costs by about 4%.

Hiring freeze melted, employee raises OK’ed

Four months after Pitt enacted a hiring freeze, the university is shifting to a controlled hiring process. This process will focus on staffing priorities, Pinkney said.

Controlled hiring will look a lot like a freeze, Pinkney said, but it will allow for the university to make necessary hiring decisions that align with its strategic plan.

“It is not our intention to slow down in areas where we know we have critical needs and we need to accelerate to support the mission, but we also don’t want to be making decisions in a knee-jerk fashion without any oversight and coordination,” Pinkney said.

Pitt had implemented the hiring freeze in March to address “a shifting federal landscape” and maintain Pitt’s financial stability. The university also reduced noncompensation expenses in areas such as nonessential travel.

Also Friday, school officials greenlit a 2.5% salary increase pool for unionized faculty and non-unionized faculty and staff.

Other budgetary moves

The university’s $3.2 billion operating budget is balanced, Pitt officials said.

This budget includes a $1.2 billion research base, which comes as the university has already lost millions of dollars in federal research funding amid sweeping cuts introduced by the Trump administration.

In his comments, Pinkney acknowledged that the current research landscape is “dynamic.” Pitt is prepared to be flexible, he said.

“At the same time, we want to continue to support the dynamic research that takes place at Pitt, which enables us to attract top students and faculty, and expand our partnerships with industry and government,” the CFO said.

The budget also allots $315 million to student financial aid, and includes a capital budget of $267 million, which will go toward preserving and maintaining campus infrastructure and completing construction projects currently in progress.