The University of Illinois Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved a 2.6 percent tuition increase for incoming fall 2009 freshmen. The increase is less than the original proposal of 4 percent that was to be voted on during Wednesday’s meeting.

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved a 2.6 percent tuition increase for incoming fall 2009 freshmen. The increase is less than the original proposal of 4 percent that was to be voted on during Wednesday’s meeting.

The meeting was a special session via teleconference. It was held because University officials and executive committee board chairman Niranjan Shah in particular decided families of incoming students should not have to wait until July – when the next regular Board of Trustee meeting is scheduled – to find out tuition prices.

Mike Lillich, assistant director in the Office for University Relations, said the reason that tuition was voted on so late was because of the Illinois state budget, which has yet to be finalized. Typically, tuition is voted on in March. The cost for next year’s room and board was voted on in January.

With the increase in tuition, incoming freshmen at the Urbana-Champaign campus will pay $121 more per semester. Tuition for a full year will now cost $9,484. But this year’s 2.6 percent increase pales in comparison to the 2008-09 increase of 9.5 percent.