IOWA CITY – Iowa higher education leaders endorsed plans Thursday to freeze tuition rates for undergraduates next school year in exchange for what they called a modest funding increase from the Legislature.
Presidents of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa called for holding tuition at current rates during the 2013-2014 school year as long as lawmakers approve their request for a 2.6 percent funding increase. Leaders of the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs the universities, also expressed support for the plan, which they are expected to approve in December.
“Being in tune to student concerns, particularly the cost of higher education, is appreciated,” University of Iowa student body president Nic Pottebaum told the board during a meeting at the student union in Iowa City.
University officials say the freeze is possible because inflation in higher education is expected to be low and they are used to managing tight budgets. After cutting a combined $125 million in state funds in recent years, the universities received a $23 million funding increase this year—the first in years.
Regents leaders said they believe they’ll be successful in lobbying the Legislature for another increase if they explain it will be used to freeze tuition, a politically popular idea. The state budget is also in good shape, with a surplus that has Gov. Terry Branstad considering ways to cut taxes.
Board member Bruce Rastetter and board President Craig Lang warned that the regents could later approve a tuition hike if lawmakers do not support a funding increase. Rastetter, a top Branstad ally who has taken the lead on trying to improve the universities’ relationships with lawmakers, said the plan was part of “a continued development of a partnership with the state.”
The plan would keep base tuition at $6,678 at Iowa and $6,648 at Iowa State and Northern Iowa. It would raise tuition by less than 3 percent for out-of-state undergraduates, generating $9.3 million in new revenue. Graduate and professional students would also see increases that would bring in an extra $4.5 million.
