The Western Michigan University Board of Trustees holds a meeting in the Student Center Ballroom on April 16, 2026.
Western Michigan University’s Board of Trustees (BoT) approved tuition rates for the 2026-2027 academic year at its last meeting June 25.
The rates included a 4% increase in tuition for in-state students.
“With this increase, a newly admitted full-time Michigan resident freshman will pay $16,592 in tuition to attend WMU for the 2026-2027 academic year,” said BoT Vice President Jan Van Der Kley. “This would be a $638 increase.”
The rates also included a 6% increase in tuition for out-of-state students.
“The proposed tuition and required fees increase will be matched with a similar increase to financial aid in the general fund budget,” Van Der Kley said.
A motion to approve the tuition rates passed unanimously.
Tuition accounts for 68% of the total budgeted revenue in the General Fund.
“The general fund is how we fund our instruction, pragmatic programs and how we meet the operational needs of the university,” Van Der Kley said.
Van Der Kley introduced the 2026-2027 General Fund operating budget.
“We are proposing a budget of $432.2 million, which would be an increase of 1.6% from the prior fiscal year,” Van Der Kley said.
A motion to approve the 2026-2027 General Fund operating budget passed unanimously.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Chris Cheatham introduced the President’s Annual Review, which included a discussion of WMU President Russ Kavalhuna’s compensation and contract.
“It is hard to believe that next week, Russ Kavalhuna will mark his one year anniversary as our 10th president at WMU,” Cheatham said.
He continued: “His inaugural year has been strong and inspiring. From his first days on campus, he has been intentional about building meaningful relationships across the entire WMU ecosystem.”
Kavalhuna requested to decline an increase in compensation for this year.
“He is entitled to a salary increase following his strong performance appraisal, but reached out to me personally to share his belief that with WMU at a pivotal moment, he has chosen to forego a salary increase,” Cheatham said.
Cheatham introduced a motion to extend Kavalhuna’s contract by eight years.
“Russ’s long-term commitment will provide a stable foundation that directly benefits our students, faculty and staff as we navigate a disrupted higher education landscape,” Cheatham said.
The motion to approve an eight-year extension to Kavalhuna’s contract passed unanimously.
Van Der Kley introduced an updated labor agreement for the Michigan State Employees Association (MSEA), which represents 17 trades employees working at the Robert M. Beam Powerplant.
“The tentative agreement provides the MSEA bargaining unit with a market-based wage increase in each year of the contract so that we can continue to employ highly skilled tradespeople,” Van Der Kley said.
The agreement included a 2.5% compensation increase as of the first full pay period of July 2026, followed by a 2.5% increase in July 2027 and a 2.25% increase in July 2028.
The motion to approve the MSEA labor agreement passed unanimously.
For more information on BoT, visit its website.
