Iowa Board of Regents proposes tuition rate increases for the state's three universities

The Iowa Board of Regents is voting on increases to in and out-of-state tuition and mandatory fees for the state's three universities for the 2024-25 academic year.

With inflation playing a big part in the proposed rate hikes, college is getting even more expensive for students while others don't have to pay a dime.

"College is really expensive in the US," one University of Iowa student tells Iowa's News Now. "I mean typical out of state student tuition, I don't know if it's gone up over the years, it's about $30,000 a year."

Higher education may mean higher costs if the Board of Regents approves its proposal to raise tuition and mandatory fees.

Under the plan, Iowa's native undergrads will see an increase of about 3% at UI and Iowa State, and just a little more than 2% if they're going to the University of Northern Iowa.

UNI's out-of-state students will also see a 2% increase. It'll go up about 1% at UI, and Iowa State is planning to raise its out-of-state rates by 4%.

And while paying back thousands of dollars in student loans can be a hassle, scholarships, work studies, job benefits, and filing for FAFSA can all help soften the financial blow it takes to get your degree.

"Luckily I can apply for life scholarships and aid application so that's the primary way I've been funding my education," one UI student told Iowa's News Now.

"I also work at UPS, so I got tuition reimbursement. I have no student loan debt, yeah so, maybe in the next time," another student said.

While the rate hikes aren't final yet, it's not a bad idea for students and families to start thinking about how to budget for those extra costs.

Final action is scheduled for the Iowa Board of Regents' June 2024 board meeting.