Eastern Illinois University’s tuition is raising 2.75% per credit hour come next fall semester for incoming freshman or transfers, according to Vice President of Business Affairs Matt Bierman.  

This change means an incoming freshman in the fall with 15 credit hours would owe $5,214.75 compared to the $5,075.25 owed by current freshmen with 15 credit hours.  

“It’s cost increases, I mean, you go to the gas station or grocery store, and things have gone up; Well, things go up for us too,” said Bierman. “Our labor goes up, we have salary increases to cover and all that kind of stuff.”  

Current students pay the rate they got their first year of school:  

• FY 2026- $347.65 

• FY 2025- $338.35  

• FY 2024- $330.10  

• FY 2023- $323.63  

• FY 2022- $315.74  

• FY 2021- $308.04  

Room and board rates are also being raised for the next academic year, which will affect current students as well as incoming freshmen.  

Double rooms as singles, deluxe doubles and triple rooms as a double for Lawson and Andrews Hall will cost an additional $150 per semester.   

The 10-meal plan will cost an additional $219 per semester ($5,713), the 14-meal plan an additional $234 ($6,087) and the all-access meal plan an additional $250 ($6,510).  

The seven, 12 and 15 meal plans will be removed as of next year.  

University apartments will cost more as well with monthly rates increasing by about 4%, but this will vary depending on the apartment type.  

The new rates will be effective on August 1.  

The price of student fees will remain the same at $140.80 per credit hour, but the way fees are calculated is changing.  

Previously, student fees were calculated at a fixed rate of 12 credit hours regardless of the number of credits a student is taking. 

Starting next academic year, students will be paying fees equal to the number of credits they take. So, if a student takes 12 credit hours, they will pay for 12. If they take 15, they will pay for 15. If they are a part time student taking say nine credit hours, they will pay nine credit hours worth of fees.  

Next academic year, the total will remain $140.80 per credit hour, but the money is allocated to different fees:  

• An additional $0.20 per credit hour will be added to the Shuttle Bus Fee  

• $0.10 will be taken from the Information Technology Fee   

• $0.10 will be taken from the Health Service & Counseling Fee  

• $0.24 will be taken from the MLK Jr. University Union Fee  

• $0.17 will be taken from the Campus Improvement Fee  

• $0.41 will be added to the Student Recreation Center Fee  

• $0.02 will be added to the Student Legal Service Fee  

Fees for online students will remain the same.  

The changes to tuition, room and board rates and student fees were all approved at the university’s board of trustees meeting on April 17.  

At the same meeting, a $608,894 purchase to renovate some of Eastern’s parking lots was approved.   

The following are getting touched up, according to Bierman:  

• The lot between Weller Hall and Coleman Hall  

• The Lawson Hall lot   

• The basketball courts outside Gronniger arena, which will get a pickleball court addition  

“We went about 10 years on this campus without any parking lot work,” said Bierman. “You can tell it in some of our parking lots. We need to be resurfacing parking lots every 15 to 20 years.”  

Three coaches’ contracts were also approved at the meeting.   

Marqus McGlothan, the former interim women’s basketball head coach, was approved a four-year contract with an annual salary of $137,500.  

Ryan Millar, Eastern’s first year volleyball and beach volleyball head coach, was approved a two-year contract with an annual salary of $106,000.  

Ruy Vaz, Eastern’s first-year men’s soccer head coach, was approved a three-year contract with an annual salary of $55,661.28.  

The board of trustees also gave an update on the university’s enrollment strategies.   

The school is looking to enroll students from areas outside of their current markets, such as Japan and Indonesia, according to Vice President for Enrollment Management Josh Norman.  

Alli Hausman contributed to this story.  

Aidan Cusack can be reached at 581-2812 or at atcusack@eiu.edu.