Increasing tuition
According to the Board of Governors Motion Consideration Form, tuition and fees were raised to $305 per credit hour for undergraduate domestic students, $220 per credit hour for undergraduate students on regional campuses, $600 per credit hour for undergraduate international students, $410 per credit hour for domestic graduate students, and $785 per credit hour for graduate international students.
The form notes that 49% of SEMO students enrolled in SEMO because of affordable tuition, and their tuition is recognized to be a major reason school counselors and parents encourage students to consider SEMO.
Tuition has been increasing for a few years. According to past SEMO press releases, the 2025-2026 academic year saw a tuition increase of an average of 3.1%, and the 2024-2025 academic year saw a 4.29% increase.
The Form claims SEMO has maintained competitively priced tuition rates for domestic students for four consecutive years, and this plan keeps SEMO competitive for a fifth.
Additionally, a news release issued today claims to help the school manage costs. SEMO will be increasing textbook rental fees from $35 to $38 for undergraduate students and allowing master's students to rent their books from textbook rental with a $55 rental fee.
Academic Restructuring
As a way to make budget cuts, the Board of Governors approved the restructuring of departments for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Today’s news release states, “These changes enable the University to reallocate resources toward high-demand programs, create clearer academic pathways for students, and enhance academic quality.”
According to the Motion Consideration Form, these are the restructuring changes students will see:
- Creation of the School of Health Sciences within the Department of Education, Health, and Human Studies.
- Bringing together the Department of Nursing, Department of Communication Disorders, Athletic Training Program, and Health Sciences Program.
- Creation of the School of Education within the Department of Education, Health, and Human Studies.
- Bringing the Department of Elementary, Early, and Special Education and the Department of Leadership, Middle, and Secondary Education together.
- Department of Mass Media, Art & Design (excluding Interior Design).
- Merging the Department of Art with the Department of Mass Media
- Relocation of the Interior Design program to the Department of Engineering & Technology within the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
- Department of English and Communications.
- Merging the Department of English with the Department of Communications and Modern Languages.
- Department of Anthropology, History, & Political Science.
- Merging the Department of Anthropology, Department of Art History, and the Department of Political Science, Philosophy, and Religion.
- Department of Chemistry and Mathematics
- Merging the Department of Chemistry with the Department of Mathematics
- Creation of the Center for Aviation Studies within the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
- Technology Management (Networking) and MS in Networking Security will relocate from the Department of Engineering and Technology and move to the Department of Computer Science in the Harrison College of Business and Computing.
If a department or program is not listed above, no restructuring changes will be made, and it will remain the same next semester.
Each new or merged department will only have one department head and one administrative assistant.
The Motion Consideration Form states the restructuring will “Improve financial sustainability through consolidation and reduced duplication, enhance academic efficiency and administrative effectiveness, strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration and program visibility, align academic offerings with workforce demand and student interest, and create clearer academic pathways to support student success.”
This story also appeared in The Arrow, a student-run news publication at Southeast Missouri State University.