University of Illinois Springfield tuition for incoming freshmen would stay the same next fall, under a plan to freeze rates throughout the U of I system for a fourth consecutive year.
University of Illinois President Tim Killeen said the rates, which will go before the U of I Board of Trustees later this month for approval, encourage higher enrollment at the system’s campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield.
The plan calls for frozen tuition rates for all Illinois residents. And under the state’s guaranteed tuition law, incoming students from Illinois pay the same rates for each of the four years it typically takes to complete an undergraduate degree.
First-semester enrollment at the Springfield campus decreased 8.7 percent, compared to the previous year, to 4,956, according to a count taken in September.
UIS officials noted the decrease came mostly from a loss of international graduate students.
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch said the steady tuition rates, coupled with an effort to raise money for scholarships, are helping to grow enrollment.
UIS’ tuition stands at $9,405 annually for full-time students, not counting other fees. Before the last tuition raise for the 2014-2015 school year, it was at $9,248.
While tuition is holding steady, students will see some fee increases, under the plan.
Annual fees at UIS would increase by $200 next year to $2,426. The hike reflects the first full year of a fee to help pay for the campus’ new student union that opens later this month.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on January 5, 2018.
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