The board that governs the three state universities is delaying a decision on tuition increases.

Board of Regents president Michael Richards released a statement today saying the board will not do its traditional first reading of a proposed tuition increase at its meeting next week in Cedar Falls.

He says the board needs additional time to consider the proper tuition increase, and that they don’t want multiple tuition increases during the year.

The Regents raised tuition 2% last December, and then had to raise it again by 3% after state budget cuts. The presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and Northern Iowa each recently recommended to the board’s tuition task force that tuition be raised seven percent.

The U-I and ISU want to keep that same increase each of the next four years, while UNI proposes gradually reducing the increase each year.