HR0670 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0670 LRB102 26199 LAW 35923 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Many public and private colleges and universities across the country have frozen or lowered tuition and fees in recent academic years in order to attract and retain students in the middle of a historic health crisis; and

WHEREAS, Tuition freezing has been important in light of the adverse impacts the coronavirus has had on students and their families; and

WHEREAS, During the pandemic, students have faced a host of devastating setbacks, including losing jobs that help them pay for school, dealing with feelings of isolation and loneliness, and experiencing the loss of family and friends to COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, Despite many major U.S. colleges and universities freezing tuition, the average tuition price has nonetheless increased across public and private, two-year and four-year institutions, as detailed in the College Board's Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2021 report; the nonprofit's annual report pulls from the latest available data on tuition and fees, net college costs, student federal aid, education borrowing and student loan debt, state and federal higher education funding, and more; and

WHEREAS, For the 2021-2022 school year, the average published tuition and fees for full-time undergraduate students for public four-year in-state was $10,740, an increase of $170 from 2020-2021 or 1.6% before adjusting for inflation; for public four-year out-of-state, it was $27,560, an increase of $410 or 1.5% before adjusting for inflation; for public two-year in-district, it was $3,800, an increase of $50 or 1.3% before adjusting for inflation; for private nonprofit four-year, it was $38,070, an increase of $800 or 2.1% before adjusting for inflation; and

WHEREAS, Increasing tuition costs as students grapple with the repercussions of a global pandemic may make higher education financially unfeasible for many; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge all public and private colleges and universities in Illinois to freeze tuition costs during the entire length of the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to Governor JB Pritzker, House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, Senate President Don Harmon, and Chair John Atkinson of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.