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Addressing a proposal to up tuition and fees for resident undergraduate students nearly 3 percent across Iowa's public universities, student representatives on Monday asked the board to halt, pause, or at least strongly consider the impact of the rising cost.
"These are not easy decisions, and I understand where the university leadership is coming from," Muhammad Azhan, president of the ISU Graduate and Professional Student Senate, said. "We don't claim we have all the answers. But what we are asking for is to pause a moment to reflect a commitment to explore more sustainable alternatives before putting the burden on students."
Airiana Mohr, incoming vice president for the University of Iowa Graduate & Professional Student Government, went further by asking the board to halt its planned tuition increase for this year.
"For the last six years, I've heard concerns at the state level about the impending brain drain, but it's not the responsibility of graduate and professionals to combat this issue," Mohr said. "That responsibility still falls to our partners in the state. And to combat that, it starts at our institutions. That's why we recommend you hold tuition where it is and not drive students away by increasing it this year."
Mohr argued the universities hold the supply to meet Iowa's growing demand for workers, putting the regents a strong position to argue for more state support.
"Our communities need doctors, lawyers, dentists, researchers, pharmacists and all these professions that rely on advanced degrees," she said. "We need graduate and professional students to fill those vital roles in our communities. We need them to help Iowa continue to flourish. But at the same time, graduate and professional students need affordable tuition to do that."
Regents next month will cast their final vote for or against proposed rates for the 2025-26 academic year that increase tuition 3 percent for resident undergraduates -- amounting to $9,565 at UI; $9,530 at Iowa State; and $8,792 at the University of Northern Iowa.
Base rates are higher for non-residents at the undergraduate and graduate level -- all of which are amplified by increases in mandatory fees.
At the University of Iowa, undergraduate fees also are slated to swell 3 percent next year, reaching $2,057 -- topping $2,000 for the first time. And some students pay even more through a technology differential -- like undergraduate engineering students charged $907 for technology alone or dentistry students facing a 16 percent technology fee increase next year.
"The net new revenue generated from these increases will fund inflationary increases in IT expenditures that support students," UI officials told regents, according to board documents.
All together -- including tuition, fees, room, board and ancillary expenses -- the total cost to attend the University of Iowa next year as a resident undergraduate is expected to increase $1,341, or 4.7 percent, to $29,958.
After hearing on Monday from students concerned with the rate hikes, Regent David Barker reminded them that some of the fees past and present have been backed by the campuses' respective student governments.
"I understand the points being made that even small increases cause hardship," Barker said. "I just want to point out that student government has, in many cases, advocated and supported increases in student fees."
In that vein, Iowa State University Student Government President Colby Brandt told regents on Monday that he understands the different forces pushing and pulling them -- and the difficulty balancing juxtaposing demands.
"We at Iowa State University Student Government understand that greater expenses, inflation, and the need to maintain high standards translate into tough positions regarding finances," Brandt said. "We are conscious of the real stresses our institutions are under, pressures you too are experiencing. But we have thousands of students becoming increasingly concerned about affordability, access, and the burden of student debt over the long term."
For many students, he said, even a modest tuition increase creates meaningful financial strain.
"It's another shift at work, another loan application, another question about whether we'll be able to afford textbooks, housing, or simply stay enrolled," he said, stressing the impact on low-income and first-generation students.
"We are not here today to oppose any attempt to raise tuition, but we urge the Board of Regents to proceed with this increase with transparency and clear awareness of its impact on students," he said. "We urge the board to focus on increasing financial aid, pushing for stronger state support, and identifying savings that won't come at the expense of student opportunities."