Hunter
06/22/21
Students at the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa might not know how much their education will cost this upcoming school year until a few weeks before classes start.
The Gazette reports that the state Board of Regents are meeting Thursday to discuss proposed tuition hikes at the three state-run universities. Regent policy requires two readings of the increase, which means that final approval isn’t expected until late July. Classes start August 23rd.
The University of Iowa and Iowa State are proposing a rate increase of 3 ½ percent. After keeping tuition rates frozen the last two years, the University of Northern Iowa proposes a 1 ½ percent tuition increase.
All three universities froze tuition and fees during the last academic school year due to the pandemic.
Back in 2018, the regents announced a five-year tuition plan that included minimum tuition increases of 3 percent at the U of I and ISU if the state legislature fully funded the Board of Regents yearly request. This year, the Regents asked that an $8 cut taken last summer be restored, plus another $18 million in appropriations. The lawmakers responded by freezing appropriations to the universities.
At the University of Iowa, the proposed increase amounts to $283 in base tuition, and another $53 in mandatory fees. The Gazette reports that the total increase to a UI student taking into account tuition, fees, room, board, and other expenses amounts to about $1080 for the upcoming school year.
Still, comparing tuition fees to their ten respective peer institutions this past school year, all three universities ranked second to lowest.
