NEIU committee recommends modest graduate tuition rise, freezes undergraduate base tuition; vote advances proposal to full board

The Northeastern Illinois University Finance, Buildings & Grounds Committee voted Feb. 13 to recommend that the full Board of Trustees consider a FY2026 tuition and fee package that holds undergraduate base tuition at 0% change while modestly raising graduate tuition and mandatory fees.

The committee recommendation would raise graduate base tuition by 3% and increase mandatory per-credit fees from $85 to $100 (up to 16 credit hours). The proposal also calls for increasing the tuition differential for the College of Business and Technology from 10% to 15% and adding program-specific differentials for three graduate programs (15% for the master’s in education leadership; 10% for the master’s in counselor education and the master’s in social work).

Committee members and administrators said the plan is intended to protect undergraduate affordability — the campus participates in a state tuition guarantee that fixes base undergraduate tuition for entering cohorts — while asking graduate students to absorb modest increases because graduate instruction tends to be costlier on a per-student basis. “Our objective was to maintain undergraduate tuition levels while potentially adjusting the graduate tuition and mandatory fees to increase overall revenue,” finance presenter Benny Ortiz told the committee.

Ortiz said the recommended package would generate roughly $2.7 million in additional revenue: approximately $300,000 from graduate tuition increases, $645,000 from differential tuition changes, and $1.78 million from fee adjustments. The committee also discussed other revenue steps and expense controls intended to close a projected FY2026 budget gap of roughly $9.6 million, including enrollment growth, state advocacy, program growth and expense reviews.

Student leaders were consulted. Terry Mena, vice president for student affairs, reported that Student Government Association senior leadership “voted to support yes, to this recommendation.” Mena and the executive director for student financial aid also told trustees that many undergraduates receive financial aid packages that cover tuition and fees and that refunds often pay living costs, textbooks and technology. “Many of them do apply those refunds towards their cost of living … food, other expenses like transportation,” Mena said.

Trustees pressed administrators on distributional impacts. Ortiz’s staff presented tables showing that about 75% of full-time undergraduate students would still face no out-of-pocket tuition increase after financial aid, but many of those students would see smaller refund amounts for living expenses and books. Students with minimal aid or who do not file a FAFSA would face larger net increases; the presentation estimated an $877 rise (two semesters) for the most-exposed undergraduate students in affected programs.

The committee approved a motion to forward the recommendation to the full board. A roll call showed committee members voting in favor (Maricitis: yes; Phillips: yes; Wolf: yes) and the motion carried.

The board will consider final approval at its regular meeting; trustees and administrators said additional details, including an updated forecast and expense reduction plans, will be presented to the board in March and April.