Once again this year the Iowa Board of Regents is thinking of raising tuition for its three public universities.

A 17.6 percent hike for Iowa State was proposed last week and will be voted on at the board’s November meeting.

Although the hike is undesirable for students, it is necessary in order to maintain the quality of education at Iowa State.

There are not many other options to pursue and the hike seems to be the lesser of the evils.

One option is to cap the number of students admitted to Iowa State, which isn’t an acceptable tactic for a public university. If a students meets the university’s requirements, they should have the option of attending school here. Limiting the number of students who can attend Iowa State will only hurt the state in the long run by having a less-educated population.

Another option is to lower Iowa State’s quality of education. This is obviously out of the question. Nobody wants to attend a college with low standards that can’t produce a qualified work force. It would be a waste of money altogether.

A final option the state has is increasing funding from the state Legislature.

In times of low economic growth, this is not an easy task. The Legislature would either have to cut funding from programs that are already hurting – such as health care and K-12 education – or it could raise taxes in order to cover the need for more funding. Raising taxes is not what Iowa needs right now, especially in a time when our economy needs growth.

A tax increase would place more of a burden on the taxpayers. It is only fair that those attending college be the ones to pay for attending college. The taxpayers are already doing their part to help the universities.

That leaves but one option: an increasing in tuition. Students should do their part to help the state in a time of difficulty.

Although 17.6 percent sounds like a lot, it isn’t going to be enough to determine whether a student can attend college. Most undergraduate students would have to pay an extra $650 next year. Students who aren’t Iowa residents would see an increase of about $1,300. These numbers will hurt, but students will just have to buckle down and follow a strict budget.

Students also need to keep in mind that the cost of tuition is quite low at Iowa State when compared to its peer 11 land grant universities. Team that up with a relatively low cost of living in Iowa and it seems like ISU students are getting a pretty good deal after all.

Nobody wants to pay more to go to college, but this is the best deal for the state, its residents and students.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Erin Randolph, Rachel Faber Machacha, Charlie Weaver, Zach Calef, Ayrel Clark.