Trustees OK smallest tuition increase since 1994
University trustees approved a 1.7 percent tuition increase for incoming freshmen that matches last year’s increase — the smallest since 1994.
Tuition for in-state freshmen next fall increases to $10,584 per year at UIC, $12,036 at UIUC and $9,405 at UIS.
“We are following the Board of Trustees policy and proposing a tuition increase that is in line with increases of cost of living and inflation,” Christophe Pierre, vice president for academic affairs, told trustees Thursday at their meeting in Student Center West.
Under the state’s guaranteed tuition law, passed in 2004, tuition rates are fixed for four years.
“The University of Illinois was founded to provide an affordable, high-quality education for the children of all classes, and we will do everything we can to fulfill that critical mission through our ongoing efforts to control costs and increase private giving,” President Bob Easter said.
Student fees and housing rates will also increase next fall. At UIC, student fees rise $52 (1.7 percent) to $3,062 per year. Fees at UIUC increase $68 per year and students at UIS will pay an additional $78 per year in fees.
Student fees provide funding to campus recreational facilities, student centers, career services, athletics, counseling centers and libraries. They also help pay for facility maintenance, renovations and utilities.
Undergraduate housing costs at UIC, based on the standard two-student room and 14-meal plan, will increase $257 (2.5 percent) to $10,518 each year. Housing rates will rise $201 at UIUC and $300 at UIS.
In other business:
• Trustees re-elected Christopher Kennedy as chair during the annual election of officers. He has been chair since his appointment to the board in 2009.
“All of us who are associated with the university feel lucky to be part of the greatest institution of its kind,” Kennedy said.
Trustees Edward McMillan and Pamela Strobel were re-elected to serve with Kennedy on the board’s executive committee.
The board also re-elected Thomas Bearrows, university legal counsel, Susan Kies, secretary, and Walter Knorr, comptroller.
• George William Knight, associate professor and executive associate dean in the College of Dentistry, was appointed interim dean of the college. Knight succeeds Bruce Graham, dean since 2000, who continues his role as professor of restorative dentistry.
• The board approved an $11 million project to renovate the common areas in the Science and Engineering Laboratories. Plans include creating collaborative learning spaces, improving elevator and washroom accessibility, and updating corridors and electrical infrastructure. The project is funded by the Academic Facilities Maintenance Fund Assessment Fund.
