Tuition will likely leap higher than previously expected for the fall semester.

Recurring funding for state universities is less than requested by the Iowa Board of Regents, which will likely result in tuition spikes greater than the planned 4 percent increase for the 2006-07 school year, said ISU President Gregory Geoffroy.

“This budget sends a strong message from our state leaders that [legislators] expect an increasing share of the cost of operating Iowa’s public universities to be borne by our students, through increased tuition,” Geoffroy said in a May 4 letter to faculty and staff. “It is just one more sign of the steady erosion of state funding for Iowa’s public universities – a trend that shows no sign of abating.”

Resident tuition at Iowa State has increased more than 87 percent since the 2000-01 school year, according to ISU and Regents documents.

Although legislators approved a $40 million increase in new funds to state universities – the amount requested by the Regents – only $11 million of the increase is recurring funds, which pays for ongoing university operations, Geoffroy said. Iowa State’s share of the recurring funding is $4.4 million, a 1.86 percent increase from the 2005-06 budget.

The remainder of the allocation is one-time funds that may not be available after this year.

“While those one-time funds are certainly appreciated, none can be used to cover the recurring operating costs of the university,” Geoffroy said. “This level of funding will severely limit the level of compensation increases we can give our employees and the availability of funds for other recurring cost increases, including our very large increases in utility costs.”