# NU regents to advance Nebraska Medicine deal, consider tuition hike  
**Published:** 2026-06-16T22:03:22.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/nu-regents-to-consider-clarkson-nebraska-medicine-next-steps-4-25-tuition-increase/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/nu-regents-to-advance-nebraska-medicine-deal-consider-tuition-hike

LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska Board of Regents will move closer Thursday to finalizing its [$800 million acquisition of Nebraska Medicine](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/nu-regents-to-consider-clarkson-nebraska-medicine-next-steps-4-25-tuition-increase/) while considering a 4.25 percent tuition increase as part of the university's 2026-27 operating budget.

The regents are expected to approve restructured financing terms for the Clarkson Regional Health Services buyout at Thursday's meeting. Rather than requiring NU to pay the full $500 million upfront to acquire Clarkson's 50 percent stake in [Nebraska Medicine](https://www.nebraskamed.com/about-us/nebraska-medicine-history), the transaction would be reduced to $300 million in direct payment, with Clarkson pledging to donate the remaining $200 million back to the university for Project Health, a $2.19 billion health care facility.

Despite the restructuring, NU remains financially responsible for the full amount because of the donation earmark. The university has also committed to paying another $300 million for Clarkson-owned properties near the University of Nebraska Medical Center, bringing the total transaction to $800 million.

"I think everything's lined up, far as I know," NU Regent Paul Kenney, board chair, said Tuesday. "I think everything's progressing as it ought to."

Officials announced in January that [NU had unanimously approved the deal](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/15/nu-regents-unanimously-approve-800m-clarkson-deal-for-nebraska-medicine/), which is expected to close by June 30. The transaction faced initial legal challenges from former Nebraska Medicine board leaders before they were replaced with NU and Clarkson-aligned board members in late January.

Separately, regents will consider approving NU's $1.14 billion operating budget, which includes the proposed 4.25 percent tuition increase. This would mark the third consecutive year of tuition hikes after the university raised tuition by 3.5 percent in 2024 and 5 percent last year.

NU President Jeffrey Gold said in a statement that raising tuition is not a decision made "lightly" and that the budget "preserves and strengthens our need- and merit-based scholarship programs." The budget would maintain free tuition for undergraduates whose families earn $65,000 or less and allocate an additional $1.5 million for the presidential scholars program.

The increase is driven by inflation-driven costs and a 0.6 percent increase in state appropriations that fell short of the university's requests. Regents Kathy Wilmot of Beaver City and Rob Schafer of Beatrice opposed last year's tuition increase, citing affordability concerns.

Board Chair Kenney said NU campuses would still have the second-lowest tuition rates in the Big Ten Conference after the increase. "We want affordable tuition, but we also have to be able to compete in the marketplace," he said.

The regents also plan to fund 3 percent merit salary increases for UNMC and University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty, as well as staff across the system, following salary freezes implemented during previous budget cuts.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/nu-regents-to-consider-clarkson-nebraska-medicine-next-steps-4-25-tuition-increase/)
- [NU Board of Regents January 15 vote on $800M Clarkson deal](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/15/nu-regents-unanimously-approve-800m-clarkson-deal-for-nebraska-medicine/)
- [Nebraska Medicine official history](https://www.nebraskamed.com/about-us/nebraska-medicine-history)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/16/nu-regents-to-consider-clarkson-nebraska-medicine-next-steps-4-25-tuition-increase/.