Our View: Freezing tuition for in-state students smart move for U of I - Illinois State Journal Register

Getting a college degree is one of the best investments a person can make, given that studies have found a bachelor’s degree can lead to a median $1 million more in income over a lifetime. And a degree from the University of Illinois carries with it a certain prestige, given the stellar academic programs the three schools in the system offer. And yet, increasingly Illinois students are shunning in-state colleges. Forty-five percent of Illinois’ 2015 high school graduates who enrolled in four-year colleges left the state, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. In 2002, only 29 percent did so. All public universities in Illinois — except for U of I campuses in Urbana-Champaign and Chicago — had enrollment drops in the fall. http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20180106/our-view-freezing-tuition-for-in-state-students-smart-move-for-u-of-i