NIU Board approves tuition plan

by Melanie Magara

Members of NIU's Board of Trustees approved a tuition plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1 that incorporates one rate for continuing students and a different rate for new students.

To meet the requirements of Illinois’ new “truth in tuition” law, trustees approved an increase for new freshmen and transfer students that will remain in effect for four-and-a-half years – or the average time it takes most full-time students to receive an undergraduate degree.

New students will pay 15 percent more than current tuition rates beginning this fall. Divided by four-and-a-half, that amounts to an increase of just 3.33 percent per year.

Continuing students will face an increase of 7.75 percent next year.

“This is in keeping with NIU’s history of low tuition increases,” said NIU President John Peters. “Over the course of the last 10 years, in good times and bad, NIU tuition hikes have been among the lowest in the state, and that tradition continues this year.” (see chart)

Board Chair Gary Skoien said trustees approved the increases “reluctantly, but with the knowledge that state funding cuts have given us no other choice.”

“This university has lost more than $30 million is base funding over the past three years, and we stand to lose more this year,” Skoien explained. “The negative effects on class size, course offerings and our ability to replace retiring faculty are well-known among those who attend and teach at NIU.” 

"Tuition largely funds direct classroom instruction, and it is the only source of revenue we can influence to make up for losses on the state side,” Skoien added. “So while we all find it difficult to ask students and their families to pay more, I think we would find it even more difficult to watch academic quality continue to erode.”

Peters said NIU is in line for another $2 million state budget cut this year under the governor’s proposed budget, and he warned that fiscal losses could be even worse.

“Each year it seems we have to redefine what we mean by a legislative victory,” Peters noted. “We had hoped for a flat budget, fought a 2 percent reduction, and now are looking a scenario that could be even worse than that.”

Peters told the board that NIU is at capacity for fall, with more than a thousand qualified students on a “wait list.”

“This is precisely the time when we should be recruiting new faculty to replace those who have retired,” Peters said. “This is the time when we should be rewarding our loyal faculty and staff with reasonable salary increases. This is the time we should be fixing buildings and otherwise preparing for a future in which the demand for higher education will continue to increase.”

Student trustee Kevin Miller said his yes vote on the tuition hike “came down to the issue of quality.”

“I want my degree to have value, and I know that’s what all of my fellow students here want as well,” Miller said. 

Trustee Bob Boey echoed Miller’s remarks, saying that as a businessman, he understands the need to invest in the institution.

“There are two things in business that you can’t touch: quality and customer service,” Boey said. “If you don’t deliver on your promise, your reputation will suffer, period. This vote is about maintaining quality and service to our students.”

5-4-03