Despite concerns about the ballooning cost of college, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, university officials proposed the increases at a Wednesday meeting of the board’s academic and student affairs committee.
The full board will vote Thursday on the measure, which would boost undergraduate room and board rates by 1.4% at the Springfield campus for new students in the 2021-22 school year. The proposal also calls for student fees and assessments to rise by 0.8% at the two most populous locations.
While the proposal keeps tuition the same, new in-state undergraduates and sophomores will have to pay more for the first time since 2014.
Barbara Wilson, vice president for academic affairs for the U. of I. system, described the proposed increases in student fees and housing as “modest” and necessary to offset inflation.
This story appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Jan. 20, 2021.
