The State Board of Regents office has released the proposed tuition rates.

The board will discuss proposed tuition increases of 3.8% for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University and a 2.8% increase at the University of Northern Iowa at their meeting next week in Council Bluffs.  Those increases will meet the promise of the board President Mike Richards that they would keep tuition rates for Iowa residents under 4% in the next academic year.

Richards released this statement with the announcement of the proposed rate increases:
“We heard from a wide variety of constituents, both during our 2017 Tuition Task Force meetings and since, about the need to keep our institutions affordable and accessible. However, our public universities need financial resources to continue to provide the top-quality education our students expect and deserve. I believe these rates strike a balance between providing additional resources and retaining affordability, while reflecting the uniqueness of each institution. Only through a strong partnership of university efficiencies, state appropriations and reasonable tuition rates will our universities increase the quality and distinction Iowans expect from their public universities. I look forward to continuing the discussion of tuition and higher education resources at our April meeting.”

The schools had talked this summer about tuition increases as high as 7% after state funding was cut. The board delayed setting rates two times as it waited to find out how much money they would get from the state. The final vote on tuition rates would come in June.