Tuition at the University of Illinois Springfield will remain unchanged for incoming students this fall. The latest action maintains the rate for both in-state and out-of-state students.
The University of Illinois Board of Trustees Thursday approved a rate freeze for in-state students at the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses and hikes of about 2% for non-resident undergraduates.
An announcement from the school said it "reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to affordability." It is the first across the board freeze at all campuses in a quarter century.
“This decision maintains our ironclad commitment to affordability,” University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen said. “Few things we can do have a more positive impact on the working families of Illinois than holding down the cost of a life-changing college education.”
UIS has also struggled to boost enrollment, seeing the number drop from a high of 5,431 students in 2014 to 3,944 in the fall of 2020. Various efforts have resulted in a recent boost in the number of students. In the fall of 2023, enrollment went up 11%.
New incoming undergraduate on-campus students from Illinois will continue to pay $321.50 per credit hour with graduate students paying $332.25 per credit hour. The board voted to raise room and board rates by 1.4% at the Springfield campus.
UIS is touting financial aid changes, such as the Prairie Promise, a new four-year financial aid program for Illinois residents that will fully cover the cost of tuition and fees for first-time, first-year undergraduate students enrolled full time in on-campus degree programs starting in Fall 2024.
For undergraduate students, UIS also offers honors, merit and donor-funded institutional scholarships. UIS awarded over $830,000 in donor-funded scholarships to almost 300 students during the 2023-24 academic year.
Graduate students may have the cost of their higher education offset by participating in the Graduate Public Service Internship Program or by working as a graduate assistant on campus. Both programs may cover the cost of tuition and provide a monthly stipend.
Prospective students can calculate their estimated UIS tuition and fees cost online.
