A fifth Alabama college said it will not raise tuition in the 2019-20 academic year.
The trustees at Jacksonville State University voted last month to freeze tuition for the upcoming academic year, joining a trend among other Alabama schools.
Previously, the University of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Alabama in Huntsville and the University of Montevallo have said they will not raise tuition.
For the three schools in the UA System, it’s the first time in more than 40 years all three schools have chosen not to raise tuition for students.
Tuition costs across the country have continued to soar for decades. In Alabama, the median increase for in-state undergraduate students at four-year public colleges has been 71 percent over the last 10 years, according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.
Jacksonville State's tuition increase over the time span matches the average increase in that time period at 71.5 percent.
The median average of tuition for in-state undergraduate students at Alabama’s four-year public colleges is $10,707 per year, according to ACHE. That includes required fees and is based on a student taking 30 credit hours of classes.