State schools' money woes may mean students will find better deals

For as long as she can remember, Frankie Tiberio of Algonquin has known two things: She wants to be a veterinarian and she wants to go to the University of Illinois.

Along with enrolling in a top-notch veterinary program, the Jacobs High School senior loves the idea of attending a big state school. Meeting thousands of new people. Wearing orange T-shirts and hoodies to cheer on the Illini.

But the university's recent announcement that it may raise tuition as much as 20 percent next year has thrown a wrench into her plans.

"Right now I'm filling out a bazillion scholarship applications," she said. "From Jiffy Lube, from the local Republicans, from anywhere I can find. I really want to go there; I'm trying my hardest to find a way."

Frankie's father, Ron Tiberio, said the family has learned that going the state school route isn't always the most affordable option.

"You think at first, 'Oh, wow. State school is going to be cheap.' But a private school may have some funding available, and it may be even cheaper."

In Frankie's case, Augustana College in Rock Island has offered her a $16,000-a-year scholarship. With average tuition, room and board costs for the school at about $40,000 per year, the scholarship puts the cost to the Tiberias at $24,000 a year.

With current tuition rates, U of I would run the family at least $26,000 a year. A 20-percent increase to tuition, plus the university's previously announced 4.6 percent increase to room and board at the Champaign-Urbana campus, could mean around $30,000.

With more families across the suburbs out of work and making sacrifices, some high school counselors say a few thousand dollars can be the difference between their students accepting and rejecting a college's offer.

At St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, college counselor Kathy Duggan said U of I and Marquette are the two most popular schools to which students apply.

This year, out of 265 seniors, 74 applied to U of I, 77 to Marquette.

While Duggan said seniors have not yet approached her with questions about state schools' proposed tuition increases, parents of juniors have.

"We've started meeting with our junior parents. They've mentioned that they're concerned about the cost of a public education," Duggan said. "If students can go to U of I, they are considering is it going to be cheaper to send them out of state with a scholarship?"

According to Marquette's financial aid office, the average financial aid package for the university's current freshman class was $16,431. The figure includes aid from all sources, including grants and scholarships from federal, state and institutional organizations, but not student loans or work opportunities. Approximately 90 percent of Marquette undergraduates receive financial aid.

Helen Harris, a counselor at Elgin High School, said she hasn't heard much from students about the U of I's proposed increase.

"A lot kids are still filling out their (financial aid papers). All the kids wait until they get those back to make their final decisions," she said.

Counselors, she said, "are always talking to the kids about the finances. Don't get yourself in too deep."

University of Illinois interim President Stanley Ikenberry announced last week that the state's most prestigious - and expensive - public university could raise freshman tuition by up to 20 percent next year.

The state is now $487 million in arrears to the university, and the number could soon exceed $500 million, Ikenberry told the Champaign News-Gazette. Ikenberry had previously predicted a tuition increase of about 9 or 10 percent.

U of I is not alone in seeking a tuition increase to combat state cuts.

Leaders of Illinois' 14 public universities in February called upon the state to cough up funds long past due and commit to reliable funding.

"We have done what we can to forestall this crisis by enacting countless measures to save resources and postpone payments until the last possible minute. We have drawn down our available resources, and we are now counting on tuition dollars to keep our doors open for students beginning the new spring semester," the presidents wrote in a Feb. 9 letter to Gov. Pat Quinn. "Still, no amount of cutting and sacrifice can make up for the absence of hundreds of millions of dollars in state appropriation payments.

"Without full funding of our appropriations in a timely manner, we will be forced to take even more drastic actions that will diminish the educational opportunities of our students and our service to the people of Illinois."

In his Wednesday budget address, Quinn said that unless lawmakers approve a 1 percentage point tax increase, colleges and universities would lose $94 million a cut university presidents already said would trigger tuition increases for incoming students as well as layoffs.

State law mandates that public universities charge incoming freshmen a rate that is good for four years.

Officials at Southern, Eastern, Western, Northern and Illinois State universities said this week their boards will wait until April or May to announce potential tuition increases, and then vote.

Eastern President William Perry told the staff in an e-mail this week the university would not consider an increase of 20 percent. Perry expects EIU's increase for fall 2010 to be in the neighborhood of last year's, a 9 percent increase.

Tuition rates will be considered at a board meeting on April 26, spokeswoman Vicki Woodward said.

Illinois State spokesman Jay Groves said trustees will vote on an increase May 7.

"I'm sure there will be some type of increase," he said. "The administration will give them some ideas on what kind of income we expect from other sources. Part of the problem is that not only is state funding low, it's inconsistent."

Last year's tuition increase was 7.8 percent.

"The thing is, we have until May to have an idea," Groves said. "The idea of cuts to higher education isn't something new."

It is for suburban families.

"Tuition may be the subjective factor if Frankie really wants to go to a big college," Ron Tiberio said. "It is a public Ivy League school. It may be worth the extra couple thousand. When we can sit down with the final numbers and put them side by side, we'll have to make the determination. If it was clear-cut, with state tuition at $20,000, there would be no question."

• Daily Herald news services contributed to this report.