Hunter
04/01/22
The Iowa Board of Regents will consider approving a significant hike in student room and board rates for the three state-run universities.
The Gazette reports that the proposal includes a three percent hike for a standard double room and meal plan at the University of Iowa and Iowa State; the increase would be two percent at the University of Northern Iowa. It would be the first increase in three years.
If approved, housing and dining at the U of I would go to $11,279 a year, an increase of 35 percent from a decade ago and a 156 percent increase from the year 2000.
The rate hike is lower than those experienced by students in the first decade of this century, when the increase percentage hit double digits in some years.
Board spokesperson Josh Lehman told the paper that the universities have joined together to get better prices on goods and services involved with room and board, such as food, room furniture, kitchen items, office supplies, repair, maintenance and recycling, to keep costs down. As a result, they’ve kept room and board rate increases at a minimum.
The paper reports that students have a variety of options for their housing at the University of Iowa, ranging from $5443 for four-person housing to $12,573 for a single room with air-conditioning and a bathroom.