ISU remains optimistic despite tuition increase

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - The Idaho State Board of Education has unanimously approved a 3% increase in resident tuition and fees at each of Idaho’s public four-year institutions.

At Idaho State University, yearly tuition is increasing from $8,356 to $8,610.

"That 3% increase is going to equate to about $200 more a semester for our students and a total of about $400 a year for a full-time Idaho resident," said ISU Vice President of Student Affairs Craig Chatriand.

Chatriand says he's not overly concerned on the impact that the tuition increase can have.

"I don't think it's going to have a large effect on our enrollment," Chatriand said. "We do a lot to try to help students and their families make the costs of college affordable. And so when we have tuition increases, we work really hard to make sure we can continue to help our Idaho students afford those increases."

Chatriand says different resources that the university is using include the tuition lock program, and their brand-new ISU Book Bundle program.

"For Idaho residents who attend full-time and keep a grade point average that's 2.5 or higher, their tuition doesn't increase when we have tuition increases," Chatriand said.

"One of the other programs that we're starting this year is the ISU Book Bundle, and this is one of our efforts to help make the cost of textbooks more affordable," Chatriand said. "Instead of students needing to go out and look at the cost of textbooks online, they're going to pay a single fee per credit, and their books are guaranteed to be available and ready on the very first day of classes."

Chatriand says the increased revenue from the tuition increase will come back to ISU’s Central Fund, helping them pay for costs impacted by inflation over the past few years.