(AP) -- University of Illinois administrators have voted to raise tuition costs for in-state freshmen for the first time in six years.
The tuition hike was approved Thursday, January 16 at a board meeting.
Freshmen entering the university for the 2020-2021 academic year will pay 1.8% more to attend the Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses, and 1% more to attend the Springfield campus.
The university says the tuition hike will strengthen efforts to attract and keep faculty across the University of Illinois system in response to record-high enrollment.
In the proposal, the Board of Trustees explained that tuition adjustments were necessary in order to "balance student affordability with the financial demands corresponding to the challenging fiscal environment in the state of Illinois."
Trustees also extended University President Tim Killeen's contract to July 2024, and approved a salary increase.