University Of Illinois Tuition Increases: 6.9 Percent Hike Expected To Be Approved Wednesday

If a vote of the University of Illinois trustees goes as expected on Wednesday, tuition rates will go up nearly seven percent at that system's schools.

Rates at the flagship campus in Champaign-Urbana will be up over $11,000 a year if the increase passes, according to an Associated Press report, a figure that is roughly doubled if room, board and fees are included. The tuition at the University of Illinois-Chicago would be around $9,700, before board and fees.

The Chicago Tribune reports on the University's explanation for the increase, which, unsurprisingly, goes back to the state's budget crisis:

The university is owed more than $447 million in state funds, and the state's direct appropriation to the university is 26 percent below what it was 40 years ago, when adjusted for inflation, Chief Financial Officer Walter Knorr said last week.

But Knorr also encouraged students and families to look on the bright side: only about 40 percent of UIC students pay the "sticker price," while around 15 percent pay nothing at all, thanks to financial aid grants.

And as My Fox Chicago reports, the picture's a whole lot bleaker at private universities. The University of Chicago announced a 4.1 percent tuition increase this year; with fees, room and board included, it will cost around $55,000 to attend that school next year. Northwestern and DePaul also announced tuition hikes for the coming year.