EXCLUSIVE – Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a new interview that post-secondary education expenses have exceeded healthcare costs, leading to him requesting a freeze in college tuition increases in the state.
"I think that's all part of a system that's broken," the Republican governor told Fox News Digital.
Braun has wanted to reform education and healthcare since he served in the U.S. Senate from 2019-2025. Now that he's the state's governor, he says he can leverage his power and resources to get it done.
SENATE PANEL NAVIGATES DELICATE COMPROMISES ON MEDICAID, TAXES IN LATEST CHUNK OF TRUMP'S MEGABILL
"You have to remember that things most important in our lives are not market-driven," Braun added. "[Healthcare] runs like an unregulated utility. Put that aside. But I cite it because, between it and education, they trade places in terms of what goes up the most each year. I think right now, post-secondary education has eclipsed healthcare. That's not good."
The governor explained further, "And for parents and kids, especially when it's all kind of ensconced in a system that pushes you into something that 50% of the kids that pursue it don't end up with a degree. Many that get a degree don't have a market for it in their own hometown. That's a broken system."
Per Braun's request, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education voted to maintain flat fees for in-state undergraduate students for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 academic years. This policy was the first time in Indiana’s history that the Commission unanimously voted in support of Braun’s recommendation to hold tuition and mandatory fees flat.
TRUMP'S 'BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL' CRACKS DOWN ON BIDEN'S STUDENT LOAN 'SCHEME,' TOP REPUBLICAN SAYS
The move indicated Braun’s commitment to making education affordable amid skyrocketing college debt and universities providing dubious value.
A press release obtained by Fox News Digital announced that it’s been over 10 years since more than two campuses simultaneously held tuition flat.
College tuition has increased tremendously over the years and forced students into debt. During the fourth quarter of 2023, student loan balances stood at $1.6 trillion, according to data from the New York Federal Reserve.
"And the fact that it costs so much, that is always seen in a debt bubble, just like our federal government," Braun said. "Can't figure out how to spend less than it takes in."
He went on to say higher education needed to act more like a business with an improved product.
"Education for Indiana, for instance, K through 12 is about half our budget and post-secondary is about 15%. Another 15% would be our share of Medicaid," Braun said. "These are all challenges that states are going to have to grapple with, but higher ed's got to do a better job of running itself like a business, giving us a product that's got a market, and right now I think enterprising governors and state legislatures will actually get it done."