(The Center Square) – College campuses around Illinois were bustling Monday as classes began for many schools.
The University of Illinois System has more money to work with this school year after the General Assembly passed an operating budget that included a 7% increase from last year. The system has a nearly $698 million operating budget in the 2024 fiscal year.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker paid a visit to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana Monday to kick off the school year.
“By restoring public funding directly to our universities, we’re eliminating the need for tuition hikes, so you know what to expect semester after semester as you attend school here,” Pritzker said.
Tuition hikes were approved for this fall at the U of I, Illinois State University, Eastern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. With the increase at the U of I, the base in-state tuition for undergraduates this fall rose nearly 2% at the Champaign-Urbana campus to $12,712 a year.
“These modest increases will allow our universities to maintain the excellence that students and their families expect and manage inflationary pressures that are driving up our expenses,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said in a statement.
The governor also highlighted how increased funding for higher-ed programs like the Monetary Award Program, or MAP, grants will help persuade Illinois high schoolers from leaving the state for their education. The state budget also included $100 million in MAP grants.
Between 2008 and 2020, thousands of students left for colleges in other states, with the most attending the University of Iowa, University of Missouri and Indiana University.
There are new laws affecting the school year. One law aims to make major course credits at Illinois higher education institutions transfer-friendly, reducing the time and money students spend on degrees.
Under another new law, if a community college student needs to enroll in a program not offered in their district, the student can attend a recognized public community college in any other district and pay tuition and fees at the rate of the sending college.
