UI Board of Trustees Approve Tuition Hike

Tuition is going up again at the University of Illinois. New students will pay more starting in the fall.

The U of I's Board of Trustees approved a 6.9 percent tuition hike for the next school year, but President Michael Hogan prefers to look at it over a four year span. He says with a state law that locks in the tuition rate over that time, incoming students will actually pay 2.7 percent annually which is closer to the rate of inflation. Hogan says the tuition hike was necessary.

"Without a tuition increase we would be short another $22 million," Hogan said. "It would be very hard to staff our classes and keep class sizes the way they are."

But others, like Trustee Tim Koritz, voiced concerns about the increasing cost of higher education.

"We have to keep in mind every time we raise tuition," Koritz said. "We may be pricing certain potential students out of the ability to attend our university."

Board chairman Chris Kennedy said he doesn't want to see the U of I be just for elite families. University leaders point out half of all students don't pay any tuition because of financial aid. The U of I is still owed about $450 million from the state government, and officials expect state funding to be reduced again in the next year.

Hogan said cost cutting will continue. Trustees raised the possibility of more consolidation within the U of I system, including academic programs. Hogan said he wants to see the first pay raise for employees in three years, but offered no specifics.

Based on the tuition increase, new students at the Urbana-Champaign campus will pay $11,104 next fall; Chicago students will pay $9,764; Springfield students will pay $8,670. Those figures don't include fees or room and board, all of which will also go up in the fall.