CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Chambana Today) — The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved increases to tuition, student fees and housing rates at its Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield campuses during a meeting Wednesday in Chicago.
At Urbana-Champaign, Illinois resident undergraduate students will see a 2% tuition increase, while nonresident undergraduates will face larger increases ranging from 7% to 14.5%, depending on their college. The changes will apply to students admitted to the fall 2026 class and beyond.
University officials said the increases are intended to address rising operational costs while maintaining affordability for Illinois families.
“This modest increase in tuition will allow us to balance the rising costs we as a university system face due to inflation with our commitment to Illinois families that the world-class education we offer remains within reach,” U of I System President Tim Killeen said in a press release.
Graduate tuition rates will also rise. In-state graduate students will see increases between 1.9% and 3%, while nonresident graduate students will face increases ranging from 2% to 9.2%.
Tuition rates at the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Illinois Springfield will also increase. Both resident and nonresident students at Chicago will see an average tuition increase of about 2%, while students at Springfield will experience increases ranging from 2% to 7.4%.
Despite the approved changes, tuition has remained frozen for seven of the past 11 years across the three campuses, according to university officials.
In addition to tuition, student fees and housing rates were also approved to increase. At Urbana-Champaign, student fees will rise by 2%, or $34 per semester, and housing rates will increase by 5% for entering students only. At Chicago and Springfield, housing rates will increase by 5% for students, while student fees will increase by 1.9% ($33 per semester) at Chicago and 6.8% ($96.50 per semester) at Springfield.
In its tuition proposal, the Board of Trustees emphasized the need to balance rising costs with affordability, noting that tuition adjustments are necessary to meet inflationary demands, address critical operating needs and sustain the quality of academic programs.