The President of Illinois State University says attracting Illinois students to state universities has become a challenge.ISU President Al Bowman says he anticipates that trend will continue. Bowman says our tuition rates, because of the loss of state appropriations, have risen to a point where state universities are less competitive than the states around Illinois. Bowman says neighboring states are offering in-state tuition rates to Illinois residents.
Bowman spoke at a legislative committee that annually considers the budget needs of state universities. The Illinois Education Research Council has collected data on high school seniors who leave the state to go to college. Their research suggests nearly a third of Illinois' high school students who go straight into a four year university attend schools elsewhere. Their data also suggests the only state worse than Illinois in retaining in-state college students is New Jersey.
