University of Illinois administrators hike tuition

University of Illinois administrators on Thursday approved a hike in tuition costs for in-state freshmen for the first time in six years.

Freshmen entering the university for the 2020-21 academic year would pay 1.8% more to attend the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses, and 1% more to attend the Springfield campus. Officials said the tuition hike will strengthen efforts to attract and retain faculty across the University of Illinois system in response to record-high enrollment.

The base tuition for in-state undergraduates will rise $218 to $12,254 a year for enrollees in Urbana-Champaign, by $192 to $10,776 a year for Chicago and by $97.50 to $9,502.50 in Springfield. Tuition for some graduate, professional and online programs will increase by up to 2 percent at all three campuses.

Administrators also approved an increase in student fees and housing rates. In Urbana, fees increase $76 to $3,162 per year, and Chicago's fees will rise $32, to $3,340 per year. In Springfield, fees were unchanged at $2,426 a year.

Trustees also extended University President Tim Killeen's contract to July 2024, and approved a 40% salary increase - from $600,000 to $835,000 - according to the Chicago Tribune. University officials said Killeen's salary increase is roughly 19%, but the newspaper compared his guaranteed salary in both contracts.