St. John’s University announced that it will freeze tuition and fees, and room and board costs for all current and incoming full and part-time undergraduate and graduate students at its Queens, Manhattan, Oakdale and international locations for the 2015-16 academic year.

For Staten Island students, the university will reduce undergraduate tuition by $10,370 for the 2015-16 academic year and freeze room and board costs and fees. Recent administrative restructuring and the nature of academic offerings at that campus have made this tuition reduction possible. Graduate tuition at the Staten Island campus will remain at current levels.

“St. John’s is aware of the significant financial challenges facing college students and their families. We are taking this action in an effort to help alleviate those burdens,” said St. John’s University President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D. “Addressing the rising cost of higher education must be a priority, particularly in view of St. John’s mission as a Catholic and Vincentian University that is committed to providing students with an affordable education.”

In addition to this tuition initiative, St. John’s has a tradition of helping students by awarding generous financial aid packages to qualified students. Currently, more than 96 percent of students receive financial aid.

The tuition freeze and reduction will take effect beginning with the 2015 pre-summer session in May.

The tuition freeze and reduction will not apply to students at St. John’s University School of Law, which has its own tuition structure.

The tuition freeze will enable current full-time undergraduate students to save the planned three percent tuition increase for the 2015-16 academic year, with a total savings of approximately $14 million for the whole student body. Graduate and part-time undergraduate students will also see an equivalent savings based on the tuition freeze. For incoming freshmen, the university projects a savings of at least $4,560 on the cost of tuition over the course of four years.