Rising College Costs and an Illinois Effort to Control Them: A Preliminary Review

Abstract

Rising college costs are of increasing concern. At the 12 public universities in Illinois, average increases in tuition were modest, generally in the 4% range, until 1999 when individual campuses begin to increase tuition at double digit rates. In 2002-2003, the overall average increase in tuition/fees more than doubled at 13.79%. In an effort to provide students/families with a more predictable college education cost and moderate the rising costs of a college education, WIU began a 4-year tuition, student fees, and room/board (all-costs) rate guarantee program in Fall 1999. Following the perceived success of this model, which is ascertained in this study, the State mandated that all public universities in Illinois offer a 4-year guarantee for tuition beginning Fall 2004.