(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Iowa Board of Regents hears student leaders' concerns about proposed tuition increases • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]
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Date: 2025-05-19
Frustration. Defeat. Uncertainty about whether they will be able to complete their goals. These are some of the feelings University of Iowa Student Body President Thomas Knudsen said fellow UI student have expressed to him as they watch tuition and fees rise along with many other expenses.
Knudsen, a junior at the UI, shared stories Monday with the Iowa Board of Regents of students trying to find ways to make ends meet. He said in the years since he first enrolled at the university, the cost of attendance has risen by about $1,200.
“We know these decisions are not made lightly, and we understand that maintaining a high quality education requires resources, but it’s essential to remember that behind these numbers are real students,” Knudsen said.
Student leaders who spoke to the Iowa Board of Regents called for transparency, consistency and investment in Iowa’s future, rather than placing more cost burdens on those who will ensure it. The board received the universities’ proposed tuition and fee increases last month for the upcoming academic year and will vote on whether to approve them in June.
Each of the state’s public universities will implement tuition and fee increases under the proposal, with the UI and Iowa State University planning 3% tuition increases for in-state, undergraduate students and the University of Northern Iowa offering a 2.7% increase for the same population.
If approved, the increase at the UI would add $279 to tuition, Knudsen said. While it doesn’t seem like too much for one year, he said for many students “it’s the difference between pursuing a four-year degree or pursuing some sort of alternative option.”
He urged the board, if the tuition increases are approved, to be transparent with students as to where their money is going, prioritize support for low-income and first-generation students and keep advocating for increased funding from the state.
“Tuition should not always be the go-to solution when budgets are tight,” Knudsen said. “When higher education is a public good, it deserves consistent support from the state.”
Gabriel Salazar, UNI student body vice president, said rising costs won’t just impact current students, but could damage enrollment and overall draw to the state. About 80% of UNI graduates stay in Iowa after completing their studies, Salazar said, and even a couple hundred dollars could be the difference between students choosing to come to Iowa, driving success in the state, or going somewhere else.
“Every cent put into our universities is an investment in our state’s current economy and future prosperity,” Salazar said. “If the cost of education continues to rise, it can lead to students leaving to another state where they would miss out on the quality education that our fine regents institutions have to offer.”
This applies to graduate and professional students as well as undergraduates, said Airiana Mohr, incoming vice president of UI Graduate & Professional Student Government. She asked the board to keep tuition flat for the upcoming academic year to help students dealing with the uncertainty of federal funding and other impacts to their work.
Both Mohr and Muhammad Azhan, representing graduate and professional students at ISU, pointed out that graduate and professional students often have additional costs to consider, like families, transportation and more. Graduate students also contribute immense amounts of work to their institutions, Azhan said.
Azhan said he and other students are asking the board for a pause in hiking costs in order to consider other options for keeping universities going without asking for more from students to do so.
“Preserving accessibility means more than … staying below the national average, it means ensuring that students can realistically afford to live based on their income and thrive here in Iowa, to contribute to the Iowa workforce,” Azhan said. “If you want to remain competitive and continue attracting top talent from across the country and around the world, we must recognize that affordability is one of the most important factors in recruitment and retention.”
Board moves ahead with Wintersteen retirement
The board also voted Monday to accept ISU President Wendy Wintersteen’s intention to retire and begin the process of searching for a new university head.
After more than 45 years at ISU and nine serving as its president, Wintersteen announced May 16 she plans to retire in January 2026. Board President Sherry Bates said in the Monday meeting Wintersteen’s efforts while heading ISU have maintained the institution’s place as one of the top land-grant universities in the U.S.
With the board’s approval, Iowa Board of Regents Executive Director Mark Braun will begin the process of finding a firm to conduct the search for Wintersteen’s replacement, form a search committee and develop a timetable for the search.
“Obviously, this isn’t President Wintersteen’s last meeting, and we look forward to continuing to work with her as we begin the transition to ISU’s next leader, but as her time winds down, I want to publicly acknowledge how much she has meant to our board and the state of Iowa,” Bates said. “She has been a tremendous president for ISU, and we will miss her greatly. I, along with past and current board members, have greatly enjoyed working with her and wish her well in her retirement.”
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