Competition at play in early timing of UMass tuition freeze By Katie Lannan, State House News Service University of Massachusetts trustees on Wednesday approved a plan that will freeze next year's tuition at its current level for in-state students at its four undergraduate campuses, while raising medical school tuition and out-of-state tuition at UMass Amherst each by 1.5 percent. Tuition for out-of-state students at the Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses will not increase. Trustee Stephen Karam, who chairs the board's Administration and Finance Committee, said trustees usually set tuition levels at a summer meeting. "By doing it now, our campuses will be able to provide more certainty to our students about the cost of attending one of our campuses and hopefully give them a more competitive edge in recruiting and retaining our students," he said.