Updated Friday, Oct. 14, 2005 at 2:30 CDT.

University administrators approved and submitted a engineering undergraduate tuition surcharge to the Board of Regents for consideration at their next meeting.

The proposed surcharge would increase junior and senior-level engineering students’ tuition by $500 beginning in the fall of 2006, annually increasing to an additional $1,750 for the fall 2009 semester and thereafter. A similar proposal will be submitted by the University of Iowa College of Engineering.

Mark Kushner, dean of the College of Engineering, said Iowa State has submitted the tuition surcharge proposal to the Regents.

“The proposal has been submitted to the Board of Regents to be put on the docket at their November 2 or 3 meeting,” he said.

Gary Steinke, acting executive director of the Board of Regents, said the proposal would be discussed at the next meeting, November 2-3 in Iowa City.

“It is my understanding that the universities will be submitting proposals to the board for their approval that have been discussed on each campus,” he said.

Due to a state law requiring a 30 day period between the introduction and decision of tuition proposals, no final decision would be made by the Regents until their December 6 meeting at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Steinke said.

Steinke said the University of Iowa College of Engineering would submit a similar differential tuition proposal, although he has not yet received the formal documentation.

Alongside the engineering tuition surcharge, Iowa State proposed a 4 percent tuition increase for the 2006-07 school year, Steinke said. He said the University of Iowa would submit a 4.5 percent tuition increase in addition to its own engineering tuition surcharge. Both proposals will be considered at the November meeting.

Look to the Monday issue of the Iowa State Daily for continuing coverage and further developments.