At its meeting on Wednesday, the UNC Board of Trustees voted against a proposal for a 3% tuition raise for in-state undergraduate students.
"I don't think I can support this package if it includes an increase for in-state students," Jim Blaine said. "I just think we've got to think a little bit about the broader context of what's going on."
The last time the university raised in-state tuition was in 2017. Several trustees raised concerns about increasing in-state tuition.
"I totally get all of the arguments about we've been flat for nine years," Ritch Allison said. "There's certainly, from a competitive standpoint, and staying in the lowest quartile, there's opportunity there. But I feel like we need more assurance."
The decision to raise tuition and how to raise it is still in debate, but it prompted reactions on campus.
"Raising the tuition and the cost of living going up would make it extremely difficult for any student to be able to live in Chapel Hill," UNC student Gilberto Cardozo-Dominguez said.
Wendy Grimm, who visited campus with her teenage son, reacted to the potential impact as well.
"I think that'd be tough, especially for regular working-class families who aspire to come here," Grimm said.
A majority of the trustees on the budget committee supported keeping the in-state undergrad tuition flat while raising out-of-state tuition.
The proposed increase for out-of-state students would amount to adding $4,320. This would bring total tuition to $49,601 per year.
North Carolina State University's Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday to discuss these modifications as well as consider a 3% tuition increase that would apply to all students.