University
SUI / ISU / UNI
Tuition Category
Undergraduate
Residency Status
Resident / Nonresident
Other classification (define
as necessary upper division,
lower division, etc.)
Proposed increase (%):
(in addition to HEPI-based increase)
Upper level (Junior/Senior) Engineering
•
$500 per year: 7.8% Resident – 2.6% Nonresident
Discussed with leadership of:
Faculty?
YES
Staff?
YES
Students?
YES
Discussed with other
university presidents?
Provide clear and concise
explanation along with
convincing justification for
proposed increase (use as
much space as necessary
and attach other documents
as appropriate, i.e.
comparative peer data)
YES
The College of Engineering is committed to providing a distinctive
educational experience which prepares engineers beyond technology. The
College’s all-under-one-roof interdisciplinary and personalized approach to
engineering education attracts outstanding students with multiple talents
and aspirations, and a higher percentage of female students than the Big10 average.
The state-of-the-art Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences,
together with our individualized curriculum which requires each student to
choose a secondary focus beyond traditional disciplinary training, provide a
unique and effective educational experience for undergraduate students.
The College aspires to be recognized internationally for engineering
education. The College is poised to make substantial gains on that goal.
For example, the Fall 2007 entering class has an average ACT composite
score in excess of 28, placing it above the 93rd percentile nationally.
Approximately one-fourth of the entering class graduated in the top 5% of
their high school class and one-half were in the top 15%. These gifted
students have shown their preference for the UI approach to engineering
education, and they have high expectations for the quality of their
educational experience. The College believes it can provide them with an
educational experience that is characteristic of the very best, but only if
additional revenues are obtained and invested in the enhancement of the
educational programs of the College.
Currently, the total tuition revenue per student invested in engineering
education at Iowa is considerably below that at public institutions of
comparable quality. It costs more to teach engineers for several reasons.
For example, engineering is basically a laboratory science, and national
accreditation standards require many more hours of laboratory subjects for
engineers than for many students in liberal arts. Furthermore, engineering
is also a design-based, creative enterprise. Design requires studios,
projects, and experiential learning. Group projects are more expensive to
run than lecture courses because they require coordination with industry,
uncertainty about time commitments, and the production of a working
prototype device in the shop. Design projects also require access to
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commercial grade computer software that can be very expensive.
However, the additional cost is balanced by the high value of the
educational experience. Engineering graduates routinely receive more job
offers and higher salary offers than any other undergraduate major at the
University. Demand for engineers with a bachelor’s (B.S.) degree is always
high. In May 2007 the average starting salary for B.S. graduates in
engineering was nearly $54,000 (the median salary was $55,500), with
many graduates earning higher salaries (for example, the highest starting
salary for a new B.S. graduate was $61,200 for a Mechanical Engineering
graduate). In comparing this salary level to the total tuition expended on a
four-year B.S. engineering degree from The University of Iowa (including the
proposed supplement), the cost of their education is offset by the new
graduate’s first five months of income. In this sense, a B.S. engineering
degree is a real bargain.
It is proposed that the third year of a three-year $500 tuition supplement for
junior and senior engineering students be implemented, resulting in a total
supplement of $1,500 per year.
All additional revenues will be used to provide enhancements to the quality
and breadth of the educational programs through a process of continual
innovation. For example, distinctive educational programs for engineers are
planned in the areas of writing, health sciences, globalization and
international studies, integrated design experiences, and personalized
research opportunities. Each of these programs requires changes in what
and how we teach students and enriches the educational experiences of
engineering students beyond technology.
Peer comparison data is listed below:
2007-08 Engineering Upper Level
Tuition & Fees
Peer Institutions
Resident
Non-Resident
Michigan
Illinois1
Minnesota
14,441
10,672
9,938
35,337
23,592
21,568
Ohio State
Texas
Iowa
Wisconsin
Arizona
9,156
8,584
7,521
7,188
5,648
21,765
27,468
20,703
21,438
16,882
1
Illinois 1st Year Cohort = $14,922 Resident and $23,592 Nonresident
2
It is anticipated the new supplement will generate $275,000 in FY2009. The
proposed use of these funds includes:
Amount
Category
Description
$41,250
Student
Aid
Faculty
Salaries
P&S
Salaries
General
Expense
Set Aside for Student Financial
Aid @15%
Faculty support for ABET and
curriculum revisions
Undergraduate teaching
laboratory support staff
Laboratory upgrades and
undergraduate student research
opportunity wages
$60,000
$83,750
$90,000
$275,000
Concisely describe how
proposed increase will assist
the university in making
progress on strategic goals
and objectives
Total
This plan is consistent with The Iowa Promise: A Strategic Plan for The
University of Iowa 2005-2010. Specifically, the supplement will support the
following strategies:
Undergraduate Education
GOAL: To create a University experience that enriches the lives of
undergraduates and helps them to become well-informed individuals,
lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and productive employees and
employers.
Strategy: Promote excellent teaching, effective learning environments, and
learning opportunities that leverage the University’s strengths by:
• Introducing students to the process by which research, scholarship,
and creative work are produced and enabling their participation in
that process, which is the key “value added” of a comprehensive
research university;
• Developing more freshman seminars, honors courses, and other
small class venues where students can interact with tenured faculty;
• Strengthening the honors program and other opportunities for highachieving students.
Strategy: Ensure that all students graduate with strong core skills, a broad
liberal arts education, and concentrated study in one or more majors by:
• Promoting their facility for critical thinking, writing, and other
communication skills, creative endeavor, and the use of information
technology;
• Providing them with opportunities to develop leadership and
teamwork skills and an understanding of business and other
organizations;
• Reexamining the general education requirements to ensure that
course requirements foster an appreciation of the arts and
humanities; an understanding of science, technology, and
mathematics; an ability to work within and across disciplinary
boundaries; and the skills needed to participate in an increasingly
global environment;
• Continuing efforts to internationalize the educational experience.
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YES
For nonresident
undergraduates, does the
tuition amount cover the full
cost of education as
calculated by the biennial unit
cost study?
I:\VPFO\Yanecek\09TuitionFees-Engineering.doc
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