Western Illinois University to keep tuition at same levels

MACOMB, Ill. (AP) - The board of trustees at Western Illinois University has voted to keep costs for the 2018-2019 school year at current levels.

The decision at a board meeting Friday means undergraduate tuition will stay the same for the third year in a row. The tuition rate for incoming undergraduate students is set at just over $8,500 annually.

The graduate tuition will be the same for the fourth straight year. Room- and meal-plan rates also remain the same for the second consecutive year.

WIU President Jack Thomas said in a statement after the board's decision that the school didn't want to make students "carry the weight of reduced state funding."

Western Illinois University has a total of around 10,000 students at its Macomb campus and at a non-residential branch campus in Moline.