Idaho’s Board of Education gave the state’s universities the go ahead Wednesday to raise tuition. This spring a full time student at Boise State University paid nearly $2,800 in tuition and fees, a little more at the University of Idaho.
“Right now in total student tuition and fees they’re paying $2,928. They will be paying 3,106,” says Keith Ickes the University of Idaho’s budget director. He says that tuition increase will start this fall thanks to Wednesday’s State Board of Education decision. The University asked for and got permission to raise tuition by 6.1 percent.
Boise State University students will pay 5.7 percent more. Idaho State University student tuition will go up a little less than 5 percent. The four year schools will also have more money from the state next fall. But Ickes says his U of I budget is not flush with cash.
“It’s still going to be tight. We’re not going to be in really great financial shape but we will be in better financial situations. And well enough that we’re addressing most of the major issues.”
At the top of those major issues is funding a 2 percent raise put in place by the legislature this year. Ickes says that will take up about half of the tuition increase. One issue the money won’t address is building maintenance and repairs. Ickes says that will continue to be a problem at the U of I.