Proposed Iowa tuition increase remains at 3.75 percent

A proposed tuition increase of 3.75 percent for in-state undergraduates next year at Iowa's regent universities remains unchanged going into the planned vote next week.

The regents will vote on the tuition proposal at a meeting Thursday in Ames. The meeting information was released today.

The proposal garnered generally supportive comments from student leaders at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa and from several state regents at the board's October meeting, when the proposal was first discussed. Student leaders and regents also said the Legislature needs to step up and support higher education at the requested funding levels.

Under the 2012-13 tuition plan, in-state undergraduate students at the UI, ISU and UNI would pay 3.75 percent more in base tuition, or about $240 more. The increase would result in base tuition of $6,678 at the UI and $6,648 at ISU and UNI. Mandatory fees also would increase at the UI and UNI, by 3.75 percent and 4.78 percent, respectively.

Out-of-state undergraduates would pay 4.75 percent more in base tuition at the UI, 2.63 percent more at ISU and 3.75 percent more at UNI.

Based on the Higher Education Price Index, higher education inflation is expected to be between 2.6 percent and 4.2 percent next year.

Next week's meeting is technically being hosted at ISU in Ames, since a tuition vote must take place on one of the university campuses. But it's likely that some regents and officials from the UI and UNI will take part via telephone, since it's expected to be a shorter meeting.