Next year, the cost of the most common type of room on the Indiana University Bloomington (IU) campus will increase $245, and the most commonly selected meal plan will increase $50, according to Mark Land, associate vice president of public affairs at IU. This increase in prices will allow for upgrades in housing and dining options as well as provide staff with better salaries and benefits. Land said it’s always a balancing act when it comes to pricing room and board.

IU Trustee Pat Shoulders said via email, “We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost. Additionally, (students) can also depend upon a committed faculty and staff dedicated to student success.”

Shoulders said IU is still one of the most affordable colleges in the Big Ten and the largest employer in the state. The slight increase in room and board will allow for IU to keep up with competitive salaries, wages and benefits for its staff, according to Shoulders.

IU Trustee Mary Ellen Bishop said the extra money will allow the university to reach its goal of updating all of its residence halls by 2020, the year most current high school seniors will graduate college. She said this summer, the second phase of Read residence hall’s renovation will begin. In addition, a new dining hall is scheduled to open in fall 2017.

“This project will include air conditioning, new windows, upgrades required to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, a sprinkler system, a new roof, card swipes on student room doors and restroom upgrades,” Bishop said via email. 

Senior Tricia Abbott said she plans to attend IU in the fall and said the affordability of the college contributed to her decision. The increase in rates, however, came as a surprise to her.

“I’m pretty salty about (the cost increase); they have some scholarships though. The increase depends on which housing plan you choose, so the cheap one’s still pretty cheap comparatively,” Abbott said.

In addition, despite the tuition increase, to Abbott IU still made itself more affordable compared to Purdue University and Ball State University. Abbott said the academics and resources of IU surpassed any other school she visited, especially in the medical field.

Abbott said, “You didn’t really see the party life (at IU); you see that when you get into Bloomington, but on the campus itself it’s super serene and pretty. The dorms are also a really good size.”