U of I annual cost breaks $20,000 mark

URBANA, Ill. -- Students starting classes next fall at the University of Illinois' Champaign-Urbana campus will pay just more than $20,000 next year in tuition, housing costs and fees.

That will be the first time a year of study at the university's flagship campus will pay more than $20,000.

University of Illinois trustees approved tuition and fee increases for all three campuses Wednesday after raising housing costs earlier this year.

Trustees say the increases -- as much as 9 percent for in-state freshmen -- are needed to cover increasing costs.

Students starting at the Chicago campus will pay $19,760 in tuition, housing costs and fees next year. Springfield-campus students will pay $17,920 a year.