The University of Illinois Board of Trustees on Wednesday received recommendations from U of I System administrators for new tuition, fee and housing rates for the 2020-21 academic year that for the first time in six years include modest increases in tuition for in-state freshmen.
The proposal, which trustees will consider on Thursday at their regular meeting, would raise tuition for incoming in-state freshmen starting next fall in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago by 1.8 percent and 1 percent for in-state freshmen beginning classes in Springfield.
The adjustments in tuition are below the rates of inflation, or the cost of living, as measured by standard indices used by the U of I System.
The tuition changes are recommended to strengthen efforts to attract and retain faculty across the U of I System in response to record-high enrollment. System-wide enrollment has increased 17.9 percent since 2009, a decade in which the number of tenure-track faculty at its universities has declined 2.6 percent.
Tuition freezes for in-state freshmen since 2014 have been part of a commitment by the U of I System to maintain affordability.
The modest increases being proposed, President Tim Killeen said, adhere to that commitment to affordability and accessibility while responsibly allowing the system’s three universities to recruit new faculty and retain those already on campus. Enrollment that out-paces faculty hiring forces larger class sizes and can impact the opportunities for student success, he added.
“Our faculty are the key reason for the quality of the academic programs available at our universities, and for the increasing numbers of students enrolling at our campuses,” Killeen said. “These increases in tuition will allow us to attract more innovative educators and researchers and reward those already here.”
Base tuition for in-state undergraduates next fall would increase by $218 to $12,254 a year in Urbana-Champaign, by $192 to $10,776 in Chicago, and by $97.50 to $9,502.50 in Springfield.
For out-of-state and international freshmen, tuition would increase by 1.8 percent next fall in Urbana-Champaign, 1 percent in Springfield and 3.5 percent in Chicago.
Current in-state undergraduates would not be affected. Under the state’s guaranteed tuition law, tuition for each successive incoming class remains fixed for four years.
Tuition for several graduate, professional and online programs would rise slightly at all three universities, most by 2 percent or less.
Changes in in-state undergraduate tuition would be below increases in inflation rates. The familiar Consumer Price Index, or CPI, increased 2.3 percent in 2019. The Higher Education Price Index, or HEPI, which measures the cost of goods and services in the higher-ed sector, increased 2.5 percent for 2019.
Adjusting tuition in line with changes in inflation is consistent with a board policy set in 2011 to use the cost of living as a guide to ensure that any increases remain at levels that are responsible while also providing the revenue required for educational excellence.
The U of I System has made financial aid to students a priority over the last decade. Institutional financial aid has more than doubled to about $230 million annually over the last 10 years, and only 35 percent of all in-state undergraduates pay full tuition and fees. Twenty-five percent pay no tuition or fees at all.
The proposed changes in tuition were reviewed Wednesday at the trustees’ Academic and Students Affairs Committee.
Undergraduate fees/housing
System administrators also have recommended that trustees approve student fees and housing rates for the 2020-21 academic year.
In Urbana, fees would increase 2.5 percent, or $76 to $3,162 per year, and Chicago’s fees would rise 1 percent, or $32, to $3,340 per year. In Springfield, fees would be unchanged at $2,426 a year. Fees help pay for student health services, library maintenance, student unions and other services and are set in consultation with committees that include students.
Undergraduate room-and-board costs in Urbana, based on the standard double-occupancy room and meal plan, would rise 3.65 percent, or $394, to $11,168 per year. In Chicago, costs would increase 2.6 percent, or $293, to $11,553 per year. In Springfield, the cost for a double-occupancy room in Lincoln Residence Hall with a gold meal plan would be unchanged, remaining at $10,810 for the academic year.
