On Jan. 20, the Illinois Board of Trustees approved tuition increases for incoming in-state freshmen starting in fall 2023. 

“These modest increases will allow our universities to maintain the excellence that students and their families expect and manage inflationary pressures that are driving up our expenses,” said Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System.

For in-state freshmen attending the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois at Chicago, tuition will increase by 1.9%. Current in-state undergraduate students and students planning to attend the University of Illinois at Springfield will not be affected by tuition changes. 

For out-of-state students and international freshmen, tuition will increase between 2.2-2.5% at the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

“This decision by trustees, alongside our commitment to providing financial aid that makes a real difference in students’ lives, aligns with our promise to maintain access and affordability at our universities,” Killeen said. 

According to the Education Data Initiative, Illinois had the fourth-highest public in-state tuition rate at an average of $14,455 in 2022. 

Krupa Sudheendra, incoming freshman, said she was wary about the change in tuition. 

“I mean, $200 is still a lot for a college student, so they should not increase that any more,” she said. 

David Mercer, senior writer and associate director of executive communications at the University, said this is the second increase in tuition in the past eight years. He said the change reflects the rise of operation costs for all three universities in the University of Illinois System. 

According to Mercer, these operation costs cover “food served to students in dining halls to the supplies needed in our classrooms and materials and equipment used in research.” 

Enrollment has also set a record-high every year for the past 10 years, according to the University. Over the past six years, student enrollment increased by 16%. 

The University reported a 44.8% acceptance rate for the 2022-2023 school year. The total rate accounts for a freshman enrollment of 6,790 students, according to the University’s Division of Information. 

Lane Pederson, the mother of an incoming in-state freshman, said their family doesn’t believe they will be greatly affected by the moderate tuition increase.

“We aren’t worried about it too much at this point, being in-state with (access to) grants and scholarships,” Pederson said.

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