BOT approves tuition, fee increase up to 2.9 percent

WINTER RACINE

online editor

Incoming freshmen will be paying more to attend SIUE next year, and all students will be paying higher fees after a vote by the board of trustees.

Lead: SIUE’s Board of Trustees recently approved a yearly tuition increase of $270 for students who will be starting at SIUE in the academic year 2023-24. Student fees were increased by $94.50 for all students regardless of their academic start.

The revised tuition for in-state, full-time undergraduate studies will be $9,576.

Due to the Illinois Truth in Tuition act that safeguards enrolled students from increased costs, only incoming undergraduate students registering for 12 or more credit hours for Fall 2023 will be subject to the tuition increase.

Current undergraduate students enrolled in previous semesters will not be affected by the increase in tuition.

The hike in room and board will result in a 2.8 percentage increase, raising by $290 per academic year.

The overall cost of undergraduate studies including room and board will be

$23,483.50 for two semesters at 15 credit hours, representing a yearly increase of $654.50. With student health insurance, this number rises by $2,400.

Chancellor James T. Minor said the university has come to a stage where the cost of delivering a high quality education has surpassed its revenue.

“The increase would generate an estimated $480,000 for the institution, which would assist in keeping pace with increasing instructional costs,” Minor said.

According to Kedra Tolson, executive director of University Marketing and Communications, the university is largely dependent on tuition.

“[The increase] is done to help us with our revenue and to also be competitive among other Universities in Illinois,” Tolson said.

According to Tolson, the funds generated from the general student fee increase will be utilized for several purposes such as providing support services for students’ mental health, covering expenses related to computing infrastructure, facility maintenance, dealing with rising food costs, and managing projections of utility costs.

Tolson was uncertain about the allocation of the funds from the tuition increase.

According to Tolson, the rise in fees and tuition will enable the university to enhance the quality of campus services, and remain proactive in anticipating and managing inflationary costs that might otherwise affect the services offered to students.

“What we need to focus on is not only students coming in here and getting an education, but we’re also focused on the whole student,” Tolson said. “So, while you’re here, we have to make sure that we have the type of services that students need.”

According to Tolson, the university remains committed to affordability.

“The college has always had a commitment to affordability,” Tolson said. “We are one of the most affordable universities in the state.”

Compared to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, attending SIUE is $1,631.50 higher to attend. On the other hand, compared to the University of Illinois Springfield, attending SIUE is a more affordable option, with a cost that is $2,652.50 cheaper.

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