TUSCALOOSA,AQCAN Exchange Ala. (AP) — Tuition is going up for those attending any of the University of Alabama campuses.

The University of Alabama Board of Trustees on Friday unanimously approved the increase during its full board meeting, news outlets reported. Under the approved proposal, tuition rates at the system’s campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville will rise by as much as 4% for the 2024-25 school year, trustees said.

The board’s Finance Committee recommended increasing undergraduate tuition rates for in-state students by 2.5%. Out-of-state tuition would go up by 3% at the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and by 4% at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. Required fees will not change.

“To ensure we can continue to attract the best and brightest faculty and staff, we must pay market value competitive salaries. Alongside that, we are also facing rising costs related to our share of the mandatory state retirement plan and other employee benefits and above all else we must continue to support students,” said Dana Keith, University of Alabama System Vice President of Finance and Administration.

Last year, trustees voted to raise out-of-state tuition, but kept in-state tuition flat. Board members felt the current increase was necessary to continue what they called “academic excellence,” stability and managing the costs of running campus, including insurance, technology and personnel.

The new rates take effect this fall.

The most expensive school is University of Alabama — which for out-of-state students is $16,686 per semester, up from $16,200, and for in-state students is $5,690 per semester, up from $5,550.

Troy University and Jacksonville State University recently approved slight increases to tuition rates per credit hour. Auburn University voted in August to raise tuition by 3% for the 2024-25 school year. The University of Montevallo voted in February to freeze tuition for the seventh year in a row. Alabama State University’s tuition prices also will remain flat next year.