Penn State President Eric Barron announced Thursday the university plans to freeze tuition rates for all students for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year. The measures aim to alleviate the economic burden placed upon students and their families amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Although the plans are currently in the works, they won’t be finalized or put into action until they’re approved by Penn State’s Board of Trustees when it meets on July 17.

“It is imperative that we give our students and their families some measure of certainty in these uncertain times,” Barron said. “No one knows how long this pandemic and the associated economic disruptions will last, but we want to do our part to ease the strain on our students by letting them know as early as possible that their tuition will not increase for the next academic year.”

If the freeze is approved, this would be the third straight year Penn State has held tuition rates flat for in-state students.

“As Pennsylvania’s land-grant university, providing access to an affordable, high-quality education is a central part of our mission, and we are committed to doing all that we can to help our students continue in their studies and earn a Penn State degree,” Barron said.

Earlier this month, the university announced it would move summer session courses online and adjust summer tuition rates for students. The measure is subject to approval by the Board of Trustees at its upcoming meeting in May.

You can find an itemization of Penn State’s current tuition schedules, which are broken down by campus, residency, student level, and program type, here.