The Southern Illinois University of Carbondale Board of Trustees approved a 2% tuition increase to $9,637.50 for full-time undergraduate students and $11,268 for graduate students at their Thursday board meeting.
State Representative of the 115th district that includes S.I.U.C, Terri Bryant says the tuition hike can be attributed to the budget issues in Illinois.
The tuition spike will only affect incoming students as previous classes, by law, must lock in their first year rates.
Bryant says the Illinois budget has to be such so that universities can be fully funded.
The board voted to consolidate the previous assortment of several different charges in student fees, into one general fee. The fee will be $117 per credit hour. The uncapped, streamlined system differs from the previous grouping of fees which was capped at 12 credit hours.
Representative Bryant was a guest on The Southern IL Insider Program, which you can listen to every Sunday at 11am on WMIX AM940 and 96.5/94.1FM.