The University of Illinois has proposed a tuition freeze for in-state students this year, marking the first time in more than two decades that the cost would not increase at the state’s flagship public school, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
If approved by trustees next week, in-state freshmen would see no tuition hike for the first time since 1993-94 and the rate would remain unchanged for four years under the state’s guaranteed tuition law.
New students would pay the same tuition as this year: $12,036 at the Urbana-Champaign campus, $10,584 at the Chicago campus and $9,405 in Springfield. The total cost more than doubles, however, after adding mandatory student fees and housing.
“Student affordability is a top priority and we are committed to ensuring that costs are not a barrier to the lifelong opportunities that are provided by an education at the University of Illinois,” President Robert Easter said in a statement.