The Iowa Senate

State of Iowa

Eighty-Second General Assembly

STATEHOUSE

Des Moines, Iowa 50319

For Immediate Release Contact: Senator Jeff Angelo

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007 (515) 281-3371

Angelo Introduces Tuition Guarantee Bill

DES MOINES – State Sen. Jeff Angelo (R-Creston) today said he will introduce a bill that would guarantee that incoming freshmen at Iowa’s public universities would never see a tuition increase while attending school.

Angelo’s tuition guarantee bill would freeze a freshman's tuition so that it stays the same rate throughout the student’s college career. The freeze would apply to tuition costs at Iowa’s three Regent universities: the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.

“Tuition increases at Iowa’s public universities have squeezed the budgets of many students and their families,” said Angelo. “I want to ease the burden of rising tuition costs, and help make college more affordable for Iowa’s students.”

In 1996-1997, the cost of resident undergraduate tuition at Iowa’s Regent universities was approximately $2470.  During the 2006-2007 school year, the cost of resident undergraduate tuition is approximately $5100, an increase of more than 106 percent over the past 10 years. Angelo said his bill would help remove the uncertainty caused by ever rising tuition increases on the family budget while students are attending classes.

“Frequent tuition hikes have made it difficult for families to budget for college costs from year to year,” he said. “Freezing the tuition rate will help take the guesswork out of the process. Under this bill, students will be guaranteed that tuition will cost the same their senior year as it did their freshman year.”

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