Iowa Regents to vote on tuition increases

After months of hearing from students and discussing the implications, the Iowa Board of Regents in December will decide whether to approve a proposal to increase tuition for University of Iowa resident undergraduates next fall and keep rates frozen at its other two universities.

The board also will consider proposals to increase tuition rates for non-resident and graduate students at its public universities. According to the proposal, those rates would increase more at Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa than at UI.

The proposed 3 percent increase for UI resident undergraduates in the 2016-2017 academic year will bring its rate in line with those at ISU and UNI, both of which will see the 3 percent hike sooner - starting in January for the spring semester.

Regents over the summer had proposed increasing rates midyear at all three public universities, but they agreed to hold UI's resident undergraduate rate steady for the full academic year after UI Student Government President Elizabeth Mills argued against an increase.

The undergraduate resident tuition increase is equal to about $100 for one semester or $200 for the entire academic year.

The tuition proposal will bring annual resident undergraduate rates to $6,878 for UI and $6,848 for ISU and UNI. The $30 difference dates back to 2007 when the board adopted a new policy giving universities flexibility to recommend different rates.

The last time the board approved an increase for resident undergraduate students was the 2012-2013 school year - meaning the spring and fall increases will end the longest sustained tuition freeze in Iowa's regent university history.

The board proposed increasing tuition after lawmakers, late in the last legislative session, failed to approve its funding request. Instead of a 4.3 percent increase in state appropriations, equal to $21.7 million, the 2015 General Assembly passed just a 1.26 percent bump of about $6.5 million.

The board in September approved its 2016 Legislative request - a 4 percent increase in general university operating support. All tuition rate decisions - including the proposal to keep ISU and UNI rates frozen in the fall - depend on that state funding.

When looking at the board's tuition proposal for non-resident and graduate student tuition, rates next fall would jump 3 percent at ISU and UNI and 1.9 percent at UI.

Proposed mandatory fee increases also are higher at ISU and UNI than UI, according to board documents. UNI students could see fees increase 3.6 percent in the next school year, ISU could see a fees bump of 3.1, and UI student fees could rise 1.5 percent.

Proposed fee increases include:

$4 at UI to support operations of the Iowa Memorial Union and $8 to cover operating and maintenance expenses for the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center;

$20 at ISU to address concerns with student health services and $13.50 to support increased bus services in response to higher enrollment;

And $10 at UNI to standardize classroom technology, $8 to address student health services, $4 for recreation programs, and $13 for general student activities.

And some students could be required to pay more in fees, depending on their student status or area of study. Iowa State, for example, is asking to charge all nonimmigrant status international students a $500 annual fee for three years. The fee would be assessed for all current and new international students.

'Faculty invest more time with these students in training to conduct research, defining expectations, developing methodologies, evaluating and analyzing results, as well as the preparation of manuscripts, theses, dissertations, and publications,” according to board documents.

When combining tuition and mandatory fees, according to the board proposal, resident undergraduate rates will come out to $8,325 for UI students, $8,059 for UNI students, and $7,969.40 for ISU students.