The University of Illinois Board of Trustees today approved an $8.3 billion operating budget for the current fiscal year, representing a 6.2% increase from FY 2024 and prioritizing student support, academic excellence and affordability.
The University of Illinois System reported another record year in student enrollment for the fall semester, with a systemwide total of 97,772 enrolled students at the universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield. Ongoing priorities in meeting the needs of a growing student body include increases in faculty and other support; providing additional mental health resources; and continuing to enhance programs that keep students on track for graduation. Technological improvements and significant facilities upgrade needs across the three campuses also are budget priorities.
The board’s vote today finalized the FY 2025 spending plan approved by the board in May, pending the General Assembly’s approval of the state budget. The state’s spending plan included a $710.6 million allocation for the system in the fiscal year that began July 1, a 1.8% increase from FY 2024.
“The University of Illinois System and our three universities are contributing to the state economy on a number of levels, and we are partnering with government, industry and the nonprofit sector to enhance our efforts to the benefit of every Illinois citizen,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said. “We are committed to providing a world-class education to state residents.”
The U of I System has frozen resident base undergraduate tuition in seven of the past 10 years and also increased financial aid by more than $108 million in the past decade to its current level of $283 million a year. Two-thirds of system undergraduate students receive financial aid and more than half of undergraduates pay tuition of less than $3,000 per semester.
In other action today, the board:
- Appointed Thomas J. Royston as interim vice chancellor for innovation at the University of Illinois Chicago. Royston currently is a professor and department head in biomedical engineering and a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.
- Appointed John Coumbe-Lilley as interim director of intercollegiate athletics at UIC. Coumbe-Lilley is a UIC clinical professor of kinesiology and nutrition.
- Appointed Omolola Eniola-Adefeso as dean of the UIC College of Engineering. Eniola-Adefeso currently holds a number of positions at the University of Michigan including professor of chemical engineering, professor of biomedical engineering, professor of macromolecular science and engineering, associate dean for graduate and professional education, and university diversity and social transformation professor.
