February 10, 2022
1.9% Uptick in Base Undergraduate Tuition Rate to Support Student Success Strategies
The Northern Illinois University Board of Trustees voted Feb. 10 to accept the university’s recommendation for a modest tuition increase effective in academic year 2022-23 that will enable the university to further support critical efforts dedicated to promoting student success.
Beginning with the fall of 2022 semester, base undergraduate tuition rates will increase by 1.9%, with no change in undergraduate differential tuition rates. Most currently enrolled NIU students will see no change in their tuition. The new rate only applies to incoming or re-entering students, non-degree-seeking students and students whose continuous enrollment has exceeded nine semesters.
The base undergraduate tuition change represents a $6.73 rise in the per-credit-hour rate and a $91.27 increase per semester in the full-time rate. Consequently, new undergraduates will pay $360.80 per credit hour for the first 11 hours of courses. Those who take 12 or more hours will pay the full-time rate of $4,895.06 per semester. Tuition is capped at that amount, creating an incentive to enroll in course loads that enable graduation within four years.
The board also approved a recommendation to keep student fees at the same rate as last year.
"This small increase in tuition will allow us to expand initiatives designed to foster student well-being, success and engagement while still keeping the cost of an NIU education as affordable as possible,” Freeman said.
The increased revenue generated will strengthen the university’s ability to offer students structured experiences and services that support their sense of belonging and their ability to create and build meaningful relationships with other students, faculty and staff. Research and analysis have shown that such relationships are of increasing importance as the on-going effects of the pandemic continue to complicate all aspects of students’ academic and personal lives.
NIU Board of Trustees Chair Eric Wasowicz said much thought and discussion went into the tuition decision.
“Ensuring that we can provide an outstanding education at an affordable rate is one of the board’s top priorities. We are very conscious of the impact any increased cost has on students and their families and we worked hard to find ways to keep the increase as small as possible while still meeting the urgent needs of our students,” he said.
The board also approved changes to room and board costs.
Room rates for students living in some university residence halls (Neptune Hall, Gilbert Hall, Grant Towers and Stevenson Towers) during the 2022-23 academic year will see a modest increase of 3%, at an average of approximately $170 per semester to cover increased cost of operations. Room rates for New Hall and Northern View Apartments will not change.
The board also approved a recommendation that the residential meal plan upgrades be reduced from $175 to $100 and $275 to $200 for the Block 15 and Block 19 meal plan upgrades, respectively.
Meanwhile, new and returning domestic graduate students at NIU will see a modest 1.9% increase in base tuition, while institutional charges will remain flat. Tuition for law students will increase by 1% with no increase in fees. Those increases will support university efforts to provide additional services to students, including enhanced academic advising and financial counseling for students enrolled in graduate programs and law school.
President Freeman noted that NIU continues to be a leader in Illinois and nationally in its efforts to remove barriers to a high-quality college education. The university has focused on keeping an NIU degree affordable and within reach of everyone, with equitable access and opportunity.
NIU has no undergraduate application fees and does not use standardized test scores to make decisions about admissions or merit scholarships. The university's Huskie Pledge program is helping to ensure that qualifying Illinois students from lower-income households can attend college with no tuition or general fees for their first year and potentially beyond.
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Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers for students and working professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 areas of study while serving a diverse and international student body.