ISU raises tuition

Illinois State University trustees expressed regrets Friday as they approved a 9.9 percent tuition increase, an 11 percent hike in room rates and a 6 percent jump in fees for freshmen entering in the fall. With falling state support unlikely to reverse this year, the trustees said they didn't see another option. ISU President Al Bowman says the declining state subsidy is a major cause for concern over college affordability. He says the university has lost $100 million in state support since 2002. Bowman says tuition, fees, room and board at ISU have gone from about $10,000 five years ago to nearly $17,000 this fall. That doesn't include the cost of books.