By Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch

With tuition and fees at Iowa’s public universities set to rise once again this fall after approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, members of university student governments are calling on the board and the statehouse to stop putting budget burdens on students.

The board on Thursday unanimously approved tuition and fee rates for the upcoming school year, as well as salary increases for university presidents.

University of Iowa and Iowa State University tuition will increase by 3% and University of Northern Iowa tuition will rise by 2%, for in-state undergraduate students, with varying hikes for out-of-state and graduate students. Mandatory fees will also increase at different rates for all students at each of the universities.

“The proposed tuition rates at all three universities combined are projected to generate $35 million in incremental revenue for FY 2025 — approximately 1.9% of the current total general education fund operating budget,” a board document stated.

UNI Student Body President Lizbeth Montalvo said that since beginning her undergraduate career in 2021, tuition and fees have increased by around $784, factoring in next year’s increase. That amount is close to the annual cost of textbooks at UNI.

The increase in revenue from students represents a short-term solution to a long-term problem, Montalvo said — one that could push potential and current students out of state to make enough money to pay off their debt faster.

“As a fellow Iowan it has always been my dream to stay and give back to the community that has given so much to me,” Montalvo said. “But I’m afraid that if the increase in tuition is what continues, this is something that I, along with my peers, may not be able to do.”

Montalvo cited scholarship opportunities as a way to relieve the financial burden imposed on students, and she called on the board and universities to support such options.

Both ISU Graduate and Professional Student Senate President Wren Bouwman and ISU Student Body Vice President Quinn Margrett said that in the past 25 years, general education budgets have gone from being almost two-thirds funded by state allocations and one-third by tuition to the reverse ratio.

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate called for a tuition freeze,, with Bouwman noting that students have borne the brunt of budget burdens as universities grapple with shifting funding streams, rising costs and other issues.

“If we don’t stop asking students to shoulder these costs, we’ll just be continuing to kick our economic difficulties down the road at the expense of the students we serve,” Bouwman said.

Margrett said that while he and others in student government never want to see tuition increases come down on them and their fellow students, the organization felt the board made the best of the situation in light of inflation and less-than-requested funding from the state.

While the board had sought an increase of $14.8 million for fiscal year 2025, the state allocated $12.3 million in additional funding.

“Investment in our regents universities is an investment in Iowa’s future, but somehow it feels that’s getting lost in translation,” Margrett said.

The student leaders said they’re ready to work with the board to help convey to legislators how important it is to fund the universities that serve as incubators for the workforce, powerhouses of research and innovation, and economic drivers in communities throughout the state.

“We hope our call for collaboration between the state legislature, Board of Regents and regents institutions to lower the burden of tuition costs on students is heard and supported with increased state allocations,” said UI Student Body Vice-President Brenda Ramirez.

Regent Jim Lindenmayer emphasized how important the student leaders’ voices are, and said their point about funding having shifted from majority state appropriations to majority tuition is a powerful one.

“I know that the last thing that university leadership wants to do and the (board of) regents wants to do is raise tuition, and that flip in the trajectory of reliance is a reflection of the appropriations and the priorities that go on at the state level, and I think the only thing that affects priorities are voices,” Lindenmayer said. “So don’t stop telling your story.”

University presidents see salary increases

The board approved base salary bumps for each of the university presidents after holding evaluations during closed sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday.

UI President Barbara Wilson and ISU President Wendy Wintersteen both received $60,000 increases, bringing their total salaries to $760,000 and $710,000 a year, respectively.

UNI President Mark Nook will see his salary increase by $25,000 to $397,110. The board also renewed his employment agreement and amended his deferred compensation plan, established in 2018, to extend both through June 30, 2027. The compensation plan will contribute $100,000 to Nook annually from July 1, 2025, until its end date.

Mark Braun, executive director of the Board of Regents, had a new employment agreement established with the board for a term ending in June 2029 and received a new deferred compensation plan with $155,000 in annual contributions ending in 2026. His base salary is listed by the state at $154,300.

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Brooklyn Draisey is a Report for America Corps member covering higher education. She previously worked for the Quad-City Times and The Gazette covering topics ranging from business to culture.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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