IU considering freezing tuition across all campuses for two years

INDIANAPOLIS — The cost of higher education has risen in the last decade, but Indiana University may give students and their families a pause from increasing tuition costs.

The Indiana University Board of Trustees is considering freezing tuition through the 2026-27 academic year for students at all campuses.

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IU has not frozen undergraduate tuition since the 2016-17 academic year, when tuition at IU-Bloomington cost $10,388. The price has since risen to $12,142.

Silas Metcalf is a junior at IU-Indianapolis, where tuition is slightly cheaper at $10,996. They say the cost of school heavily determined their decision to stay in Indiana for college.

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"The original plan was to live up here with my sister because it would be cheaper," Metcalf said. "The other college I was looking at was Western Kentucky University, but I would have had to pay out-of-state tuition, which is almost twice as much."

However, they say the cost of IU Indy is still a challenge for their classmates.

"I know there's a lot of students who have to drop out because something happens and they can't afford to continue attending," Metcalf said. "Personally, I have a friend whose mother died. There was a lot of cost involved, and he was not able to continue attending college. He had to drop out."

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Under the plan, IU Indy's tuition would slightly decrease to $10,761.

"It would be a really big deal," Metcalf said. "I'm sure attendance would go way up because there would be a lot more students trying to go here."

While Indiana University has not frozen tuition in nearly a decade, Purdue University's in-state tuition has remained at about $10,000 for the past 14 years.

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"It's a reflection of our values: accessibility and affordability as a public land-grant institution," said Purdue University president Dr. Mung Chiang at the university's most recent board of trustees meeting.

Metcalf hopes IU follows through on their tuition freeze proposal because they say every cent makes a difference.

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"I do have to take out private loans," Metcalf said. "My usual co-signer isn't willing to co-sign loans for me in the future, so if I do incur more debt in the future, it would be really complicated for me."