Regents approve tuition changes for 2017-18
Author: Anne Krapfl
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Author: Anne Krapfl
The state Board of Regents approved a tuition increase proposal on Dec. 5 that will raise Iowa State tuition next year 2 percent for resident undergraduates and 3 percent for all others. It also will put in motion three-year differential tuition increases for juniors, seniors and graduate students in five academic programs and adjust several previously approved tuition differentials for consistency.
The board approved the increases on a 9-0 vote and without discussion, including no acknowledgment of requests from Iowa State's student government and Faculty Senate to delay the tuition vote a month. In the last two weeks, both groups asked the board to hold off on voting until it had studied a two-tiered (underclassmen/upperclassmen) differential tuition plan based not on academic program but on class level and progress within programs.
President Steven Leath first mentioned the more comprehensive approach during his annual address in September and the provost's office involved students and faculty this fall to develop some specifics. But Gov. Terry Branstad subsequently expressed concern about higher college costs for juniors and seniors, and university leaders shifted their focus to differential tuition for upper division students in specific, high-cost programs.
Following the board's vote, ISU Student Government president Cole Staudt expressed his frustration. Postponing the vote "to give the comprehensive model a full vetting" and consider the long-term effects of both differential tuition models "would have caused no harm," he said.
"I trusted that [board members] listened to us and would make a decision after gathering all the facts. That trust has been broken," he said.
Regent president Bruce Rastetter said the board isn't likely to support a tuition proposal that makes school more expensive for all juniors and seniors regardless of the program they're in.
Students |
Increase |
Standard base tuition |
Resident undergraduate |
$142 |
$7,240 |
Nonresident undergraduate |
$614 |
$21,076 |
Resident graduate |
$254 |
$8,728 |
Nonresident graduate |
$654 |
$22,440 |
Resident vet medicine* |
$646 |
$22,176 |
Nonresident vet medicine* |
$1,430 |
$49,066 |
*Excludes 12-month fourth year
A three-year implementation will begin next year on differential tuition for juniors, seniors and graduate students in five programs: animal science, biology, computer science, industrial design and natural resource ecology and management. The differentials -- $1,600 in the undergraduate programs and $1,124 in the graduate programs after three years -- reflect higher instruction costs. Next year's increase is $534 for undergraduates and $374 for graduates.
The 2017-18 year is the second in a three-year plan in which all international students will pay an additional $500 per year above nonresident tuition increases. When fully implemented, the differential will be $1,500.
Iowa State also will adjust several previously approved tuition differentials for consistency:
Following closed-session interviews with three finalists for the University of Northern Iowa presidency, the board announced its selection of Mark Nook as UNI's 11th president, effective Feb. 1, 2017. Nook currently serves as chancellor at Montana State University, Billings. He earned a master's degree in astrophysics (1983) at Iowa State.
In other ISU-related business, the board: