Hunter
05/13/23
A member of the Iowa Board of Regents calls the 3.5 percent proposed tuition increase at the three state-run universities “effectively a rate cut” given the current rate of inflation.
David Barker, the only Regent to comment publicly on the proposal, said the undergraduate rate increase of 3.5 percent is well below the current 5 percent inflation rate, the recent 7.4 percent increase in personal income per capita, and the most recent increase in median household income of 5.2 percent.
The Regents held their first reading on the proposed rate increase earlier this week. The proposal was necessitated in part due to the Iowa Legislature holding funding flat for the University of Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa. The Regents asked for a $32 million increase in general education support, and in return got about $7.1 million across the three campuses for specific programs, including nursing initiatives at the UI.
Regents say the increases will bring the total tuition for UI undergrads to $9,016 per year; $8,982 at ISU, and $8,396 at UNI.