Updated Dec. 5, 2016: At its Dec. 5–6 meeting, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the tuition increase proposed at its Oct. 19–20 meeting with one amendment recommended by University of Iowa students: a new Mental Health Fee. This $12.50 annual Mental Health Fee will replace the $10 Health Fee increase originally proposed in October and will support additional mental health counselors.

At its Oct. 19–20 meeting, the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, will present its initial proposal for tuition and mandatory fee increases for the University of Iowa. The Regents will set tuition rates and fees at their Dec. 5–6 meeting, and changes would begin to affect students in the 2017 summer session.

The Regents are proposing a 2 percent increase in undergraduate resident tuition, a 2.5 percent increase for non-resident undergraduates, and a 2 percent increase in mandatory student fees. This would raise the undergraduate resident base tuition and fees by $171 to $8,746. 

The university will propose a 2.5 percent increase for all resident and non-resident graduate and professional students, except for those in the Carver College of Medicine, where resident students would see a 2.04 percent increase and non-resident students a 3.24 percent increase.

“Tuition is only one part of several ways we will secure the new funds that are crucial to moving forward. Incremental and predictable increases can help students and families plan their future budgets while securing the resources needed to continue providing excellence,” says UI President Bruce Harreld.

At their September meeting, the Regents decided to request a 2 percent increase, or $12.7 million, in state appropriations for Iowa’s three public universities for fiscal year 2018, of which $4.6 million would go to the UI. Part of a multi-year budget plan, the Regents stated that depending on outcomes this year, they would request another 2 percent increase in state appropriations next year, followed by another 2 percent proposed tuition increase for resident undergraduates.

The UI College of Engineering enjoys a higher percentage of female students than the national average. Read more...

To reduce the high student-to-faculty ratio generated by a surge in enrollment, the UI College of Engineering is requesting to increase first-year resident and non-resident tuition by $1,000. The proposal includes a $1,316 increase for second-year resident engineering students, as well as a $1,548 increase for second-year non-resident students, which would raise it to match the college’s current upper-division undergraduate rates.

Due to the College of Engineering’s unique, student-centered approach and a swelling interest in STEM education, enrollment in the college has grown by 70 percent since the fall 2009. This has increased the student-to-faculty ratio from about 16:1 in 2009 to 25:1 in the fall of 2015.

Revenue generated would be used to hire new laboratory staff, purchase laboratory equipment and supplies, and hire new teaching assistants and eight new faculty members.

“Engineering and technology have never been more important for our economy, and our faculty is focused on educating engineers to thrive in today’s rapidly changing marketplace,” says Alec Scranton, dean of the College of Engineering. “The enhanced tuition will directly support the hands-on, student-centered approach that has drawn so many great students to the STEM fields.”

The Regents will set tuition rates and fees at their Dec. 5–6 meeting, before which they will hear from UI Student Government, UI Graduate and Professional Student Government, and other stakeholders.