The University of Connecticut Board of Trustees on Wednesday approved three years of tuition and fee increases at the School of Medicine that will push the total annual cost for in-state students to $58,396 by 2028-29, a roughly 10.3% jump over current rates.
The UConn Health Board of Directors endorsed the plan at a special meeting May 15. It covers tuition, the professional school fee and estimated health insurance costs for residents, non-residents and regional students in academic years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29.
For Connecticut residents, the combined annual price tag rises 2% next year, then climbs 3.6% in 2027-28 and another 3.7% the following year. Non-resident students will see smaller percentage jumps, with the total rising from $81,107 today to $87,269 in three years. Regional students, whose tuition by policy must run at least 150% of the resident rate, will pay $85,243 by 2028-29.
The steepest single-year change falls in the professional school fee, which jumps 16.89% to $3,250 next year before holding flat through the remainder of the three-year window. Base resident tuition rises a more modest 2% in the first year, then accelerates to 3.6% and 3.7% in years two and three. Non-resident base tuition is set to climb at a steady 2.25% annually. Health insurance, which students can opt out of with other coverage, is projected to rise 5% each year.
In a presentation prepared for the board, Dean Bruce T. Liang, assistant dean for student affairs Marilyn Katz and Senior Director of Finance Donna McKenty attributed the increases to rising salary and fringe costs, inflation, declining state support and continued investment in simulation technology, anatomy labs, wellness advising, mental health resources and tutoring.
“While we expect to have a balanced budget through various mechanisms, we are not making a profit by raising tuition,” UConn’s School of Medicine said in a statement. “Tuition covers the investments we make in our students’ education and to cover the rising costs of medical education teaching, high-tech training technology and laboratories, and important student programs and scholarly activities.”
UConn’s medical school currently ranks 15th highest among 94 public medical schools nationwide for both resident and non-resident costs, according to Association of American Medical Colleges data cited in the proposal. That places the school in the 85th percentile for resident charges and the 84th percentile for non-resident charges.
The national average for first-year resident tuition, fees and health insurance at public medical schools is $43,016, compared with UConn’s $52,922. However, a UConn Health spokesperson said the school’s tuition cost is at the average of other Northeast public medical schools.
