Next U of I tuition hike could be 9 percent or ‘double that’
University of Illinois interim President Stanley Ikenberry cautioned today that the next tuition increase would be at least 9 percent, but also “could go double that” in light of the state’s bleak financial picture.
“It is too early to tell, but I think we need to be prepared to think in those terms,” Ikenberry told the Tribune at the university’s board meeting Thursday.
In later comments to the board, he offered advice for parents: “If you haven’t started the savings program, it is probably a good idea to think about that. The stresses on the university and students and families are not going to get any easier.”
Tuition is guaranteed for four years, so a 9 percent hike would equate to an increase of about 3 to 3.5 percent a year. An 18 percent increase would average 7 to 7.5 percent a year, Ikenberry said. Tuition is $9,484 this year for freshmen at the Urbana-Champaign campus.
Although trustees won’t approve tuition rates until later this year, they approved an increase in fees and housing rates Thursday. At the Urbana-Champaign campus, students will pay $2,842 next year, up 2.8 percent. Fees in ChicagoChicago reviews
will be $2,928, up 1.3 percent, and Springfield students will pay $1,713, up 6.4 percent.
“We are holding those down understanding there will be more pressure on the tuition side,” Ikenberry said.
Board chairman Christopher Kennedy said he was concerned about tuition, saying he doesn’t want the state’s public flagship university “to be available only to the wealthy.”
University officials have said they are facing “unprecedented” budget challenges. The state is behind in paying about $446 million in tax dollars designated for the university.
As a result, Ikenberry announced this month that employees would be required to take up to 10 unpaid days off. Officials said Thursday that employees could opt instead to take a temporary pay cut.
On top of its cash flow problem this year, the university has had stagnate state funding for years, forcing tuition to make up a greater share of the overall budget.
Any tuition increase will be large in comparison to the 2.6 percent jump this past year.
Ikenberry suggested that the board may not vote on tuition until June when there is more clarity from Springfield. But Richard Ringeisen, chancellor of the Springfield campus, encouraged the board not to delay a decision for too long.
“The later we make the decision, the harder it is to explain to families what it will cost,” he said.
UIC freshman Alyssa Fioresi of Geneva said she is glad her tuition is locked in for four years. “I feel lucky that I won’t have to deal with that,” she said.
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