Day after U. of I. hike, gov announces deal to expand university’s free tuition program

Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday announced a deal with the University of Illinois Board of Trustees to expand its free tuition program — just a day after the board voted to hike tuition for in-state freshmen.

The board on Thursday approved its first tuition increase in six years. It means freshmen entering the university this fall will pay 1.8% more to attend the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses and 1% more to attend the Springfield campus. It also included hikes in fees and room and board rates of up to 3.65%.

Speaking at an unrelated bill signing in Chicago, Pritzker said he personally asked the board to expand its free tuition program for low-income families in light of the hike.

“I asked them to lift the income threshold for the Illinois Commitment program by an additional 10%, and they will institute this for the coming school year,” Pritzker said. “That means now, more than half of the households in this state will qualify for free tuition.”

The program provides scholarships and grants to cover tuition and campus fees for students who are Illinois residents and have a family income of up to $61,000, which is considered to be the median income in the state, according to the university. Room and board costs are not covered by the program.

The program will now include financial aid for family incomes of up to $67,000, according to the governor’s office.

Pritzker said the change will be implemented this month.

“People who are applying for the new school year, in the fall, will be able to access that 10% increase,” the governor said.

The university said 30% of students in the current freshman class, as well as new transfer students, were eligible for the Illinois Commitment program.

The university said base tuition for instate undergraduates next fall will increase by $218 to $12,254 a year in Urbana-Champaign; by $192 to $10,776 in Chicago; and by $97.50 to $9,502.50 in Springfield. Costs for many programs, including business and life sciences, can be thousands of dollars higher.

U. of I. President Tim Killeen — who on Thursday also saw his salary increased from $700,000 to $835,000 with a new four-year contract — said the change in tuition follows a five-year freeze for in-state undergraduates. Killeen said it will provide a “responsible level of support for a faculty hiring initiative started this year to ensure academic quality keeps pace with record-high enrollment.”