The Idaho State Board of Education approved the first tuition increase in all four 4-year institutions since 2019.
During a meeting Monday morning, Boise State University, the University of Idaho, and Idaho State University were granted their requested 5% increases, while Lewis and Clark State College received the requested 5.6% increase.
All tuition increases will take effect in the coming Fall semester.
Overall, all four academic institutions stay below the average tuition of schools associated with the Western Interstate Commission of Higher Education (WICHE).
Students at BSU feel the bump comes at a challenging time as inflation still hits many Idahoans.
"Like I call my mom every couple of months now being like, 'Hey, this got more expensive' or like 'Hey something happened. This went up'," said Kamryn Boykin, senior at BSU.
Out of state tuition is also climbing but triple the cost of instate students.
"Non-resident fees are already high and so an increase, it just means a lot more to think about financially especially with financial aid, how much of a loan to take out and all of that," said Rhys Cooper, student at BSU.
The reasons cited for the increase are credited to Changes in Employee Compensation (CEC), the rising inflation rate, and the overall economic climate. Specifically, the schools identified rising costs in janitorial services, technology and digital tools available for students, and increasing attention to student health and welfare.
“Idaho still has one of the least expensive average resident tuition rates in the entire nation,” State Board President Dr. Linda Clark said. “I commend our institutions for how they have managed their budgets without raising tuition these past few years. Our presidents brought conservative tuition and fee requests to us for consideration. With high inflationary and other increased costs, our Board believes the requests were reasonable and warranted.”
Yearly tuition and fees at the four-year institutions for the academic year 2023/24 are set as follows:
- University of Idaho - $8,816 - $420 increase over last year
- Boise State University - $8,782 - $418 increase over last year
- Idaho State University - $8,356 - $398 increase over last year
- Lewis-Clark State College - $7,388 - $392 increase over last year
In other actions, the Board approved merit pay increases for the institution presidents. Updated FY24 salaries are as follows:
- University of Idaho President Scott Green - $465,235
- Boise State University President Marlene Tromp - $459,666
- Idaho State University President Kevin Satterlee - $441,000
- Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton - $288,750
