ISU Trustees will consider a three percent tuition hike for incoming students. Fees would also rise by three percent. Room and board would go up one percent. University Spokesman Jay Groves acknowledged the hike will be less than the cost of inflation.
"You have to keep the cost of attendance as low as possible and as affordable as possible," said Groves.
Groves said the proposed increase means ISU will cost about 23,000 dollars per year. That is less than the University of Illinois and Northern Illinois University, among the state's public higher education institutions. It would leave ISU unchanged in cost rankings on that list.
"For new students that are using tuition fee, room and board that's a 2.1 percent increase or 491 dollars per year over what freshmen with that package paid last year, said Groves."
Tuition for incoming freshmen will be locked at that rate for four years.
Illinois State University has taken a 60 million dollar reduction in state funding this fiscal year.
"It's unfair to balance that on the backs of students and their families. We've taken most of that through cuts. But, we also want to make sure that we are building the type of university
and maintaining the type of university that students have voted to come to for years and in the last two years in record numbers," said Groves.
Trustees will take up the recommendation at their meeting on Friday.
