The board that governs the three state universities has given preliminary approval to a four-percent tuition increase — the smallest increase in more than a decade. Sophia Magill is the president of the student government at Iowa State University, and says she’s glad to see the tuition increase tied to the Higer Education Price Index. She says they’ve seen a lot of ups and downs over the years and “not much stability or accountability.” She says basing the increase on the index will keep a little more consistency and accountability for students. The State Board of Regents agreed in September to keep tuition tied to the Higher Education Price Index the next four years if state lawmakers agree to give the schools 40-million in state funding each of those years. Magill says keeping the state funding consistent is key.She says they need collaborate with the state legislature to ensure they have backing and support from lawmakers. Magill — who’s a senior political science major from Chart Oak — says the party split in the Iowa Senate could lead to some good things for education. She says they’ll hopefully focus more on the issues at hand, rather than sometimes getting muddled down by party lines or previous distinctions. The increase would make the cost to attend Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa at just over 56-hundred dollars. The Regents will vote on the final approval of the tuition increase in December.
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