Several IL universities froze tuition this year. Others didn’t. Here’s the cost to attend
President Joe Biden announced Wednesday a plan to clear $10,000 of student loans for those who make less than $125,000 per year and $20,000 of forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients, but how much of a dent will the cancellation make?
The majority of college graduates in Illinois have student debt, according to a study by The Institute for College Access and Success, but the average burden varies by more than $20,000 depending on which public university a graduate attended.
Some Illinois colleges have enacted tuition freezes for the 2022-23 academic year, meaning incoming students will not pay more in tuition than students who matriculated a year earlier.
Illinois’ “Truth in Tuition” law dictates enrolled in-state, undergraduate students will not see a tuition increase for their first four years of higher education. The state is one of three in the U.S. with tuition freeze laws, along with Oklahoma and Texas.
The tuition lock law was amended in 2010 to allow a fifth and sixth year of locked tuition where administrators can charge a student the amount of tuition designated for students who began one year after the student.
Tuition locks may be extended past the four- or six-year limitations depending on a major or program’s specific requirements.
Here’s what to know about average debt loads for Illinois graduates from TICAS and undergraduate tuition rates for the 2022-23 academic year. The following numbers include only tuition costs and exclude additional student fees. These figures apply to incoming undergraduate students unless otherwise noted.
Northeastern Illinois University
Portion of graduates with debt: 70%
Average debt of graduates: $11,355
Tuition:
In state: $420.44 per credit hour
Out of state: $840.88 per credit hour
Northeastern Illinois University enacted a tuition freeze for undergraduates for the 2022-23 year. Tuition at the graduate level, including the teacher licensure program and second bachelor degrees, rose by 4%.
Chicago State University
Debt information for Chicago State University was not available from TICAS.
Tuition for U.S. residents:
Undergraduates admitted fall 2019 to summer 2022: $312 per credit hour
Undergraduates new or returning not covered by tuition guarantee: $319 per credit hour
Chicago State University increased tuition by 1.2% from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2022. University officials did not answer an emailed question from the News-Democrat asking whether administrators considered a tuition freeze and instead referenced the tuition sheet linked above.
Eastern Illinois University
Portion of graduates with debt: 76%
Average debt of graduates: $29,483
Tuition:
In-state, border states and “distinguished out-of-state students:” $323.63 per credit hour
Non-border states: $404.54 per credit hour
Tuition at Eastern Illinois University increased by $7.89 per credit hour for incoming (in-state/border state/distinguished out-of-state) students in the 2022-23 academic year.
“Tuition is an isolated metric of overall affordability when calculating higher education costs. The total cost of attendance factors in other metrics (e.g. books/housing/dining/etc.) and is an accepted comparative measure of overall university affordability. I can share that EIU’s total cost of attendance remains the lowest of all residential public universities in Illinois in 2022-23,” EIU spokesperson Josh Reinhart wrote in an email to the News-Democrat.
Governors State University
Debt information for Governors State University was not available from TICAS.
Tuition: $313 per credit hour for Illinois residents
Governors State University raised tuition for graduate students in a specific program, but did not raise tuition for undergraduate students.
“We have implemented NO tuition increases since academic year 2017-2018. At Governors State University, total costs per student (tuition and mandatory fees) remain among the lowest in the state,” university spokesperson Zion Banks wrote in an email to the News-Democrat.
Illinois State University
Portion of graduates with debt: 68%
Average debt of graduates: $30,588
Tuition: $394.69 per credit hour for in-state students
“The State of Illinois ‘Truth-in-Tuition’ statute guarantees that these students will continue to pay this rate through summer of 2026. This rate per credit hour is a 2.75% increase from the rate charged in FY2022,” Illinois State University officials stated in an email to the News-Democrat.
The 2.75% tuition hike was ISU’s first tuition increase since the 2018-19 academic year.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Portion of graduates with debt: 56%
Average debt of graduates: $23,965
Tuition: $310.20 per credit hour for full-time students who are U.S. residents.
SIUE officials were not immediately available to answer questions from the News-Democrat regarding whether the university considered a tuition freeze.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Portion of graduates with debt: 67%
Average debt of graduates: $30,391
Tuition: $321.25 per credit hour
“We are proud that 2022-23 is the fifth year with no tuition increase,” university spokesperson Jim Potter wrote in an email to the News-Democrat.
University of Illinois Chicago
Portion of graduates with debt: 58%
Average debt of graduates: $22,440
Tuition: $5,485 per semester for students taking 12 credit hours or more.
Tuition increased by 1.8% for incoming in-state students at the University of Illinois Chicago for the 2022-23 year.
“The world-class education available at our three universities is the reason so many students choose the University of Illinois,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said in a January press release. “These modest increases will ensure that we can maintain the levels of excellence that have led to record enrollment growth, and that the people of Illinois count on.”
University of Illinois Springfield
Portion of graduates with debt: 61%
Average debt of graduates: $23,769
Tuition: $321.50 per credit hour for in-state students
Tuition increased by 1.5% at the University of Illinois Springfield for the 2022-23 academic year.
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign
Portion of graduates with debt: 45%
Average debt of graduates: $24,766
Tuition: $519.75 per credit hour for in-state students
Tuition increased by 1.8% at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign for the 2022-23 year.
Western Illinois University
Portion of graduates with debt: 66%
Average debt of graduates: $28,544
Tuition: $317.18 per credit hour for incoming U.S. students
Annual tuition increased from $9,238 to $9,515 in the 2022-23 academic year.
“Prior to last year, tuition, room and meal plan rates had remained level/unchanged since Fall 2019,” university spokesperson Alisha Looney wrote in an email to the News-Democrat.
“Western offers the WIU Cost Guarantee program, which ensures that undergraduate students pay the same rate for tuition, fees, room and meal plan for their four years of continuous enrollment,” Looney wrote. “Western’s Cost Guarantee, which was the first in the state, was the model for Illinois’ Tuition Guarantee program. Today, WIU is the only public university in the state that provides the guaranteed cost structure for not only tuition and fees, but also room and board for undergraduate and transfer students.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 10:57 AM.
