On Jan. 23, the UI System Board of Trustees approved increases for room and board, tuition and student fees starting in Fall 2025, attributing the changes to rising operating costs, faculty finances and inflation.

“While our commitment to affordability remains steadfast, this year, inflation has also shaped our recommendations,” said Nicholas Jones, executive vice president of the UI System, during the meeting. “We believe that the recommended increases in tuition and fees are modest and deemed necessary to maintain the excellence of our academic enterprise.”

Tuition

The University increased all incoming students’ tuition for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. 

For Illinois resident undergraduate students, base tuition will increase by $280 per year, from $12,712 to $12,992, or 2.2%. The base tuition for United States non-residents and international students will increase by approximately 4.4% to 4.7%, with non-residents starting at $33,344 per year and international students at $34,338. 

These numbers will fluctuate heavily based on major and residential status. For example, incoming students to the Grainger College of Engineering or the Gies College of Business from outside the U.S. will pay $31,696 more each year than in-state students studying in the School of Social Work.

Some graduate and professional programs will receive tuition increases of up to 4%. The full list of tuition prices for next year can be found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.

Current students will not see a change in their tuition cost, as per Illinois state law.

Fees

Campus fees fund many projects, including recreation and health centers, technology, transportation, student clubs and more.

In total, fees will increase by $35 next semester, or $70 per year for all students. This comes mostly from additional student services and student-initiated fees. As a result, yearly student fees will reach $3,362, a 2.1% increase over this year’s $3,292. You can find the data here, and a breakdown is provided below:

With over 59,000 students currently enrolled and a target enrollment of up to 9,000 students for the class of 2029, the University can expect to receive an extra $4.2 million in student fees next year. 

Detailed descriptions for each of the fees can be found here.

Room, board

First-year students in University Housing must select one of two plans that include meals, dining dollars and housing. Starting next semester, all first-year housing and meal plan combinations will increase by 5%. This increase will also apply to graduate housing room-only rates. 

For Ashton Woods, Orchard Downs and Goodwin-Green apartments, monthly rates will increase anywhere from 2% to 3.1%. You can find more details about every current and future room and board price here. 

Returning students to University Housing will not have a price increase.

[email protected]