USF to Freeze Tuition and Housing Prices Until Fall of 2022

After eliminating most student fees in 2019, the University of St. Francis (USF) has frozen all tuition and housing prices at the current level until fall of 2022.

“In the face of COVID-19’s disruptions to families, Illinois, and the wider economy we wanted to hold university costs the same this year. By freezing tuition, USF can make planning for college easier and increase the value of our offerings to students,” USF President Arvid C. Johnson, Ph.D., said.

USF announced the move in an email to all current students and applicants today. “The university will not raise undergraduate or graduate tuition and will hold housing and food costs at the same level. We recognize the pressure felt by all of our students and their families,” Johnson said.

The tuition and housing rate freeze applies to in-state and out-of-state students, Johnson added. “Our campus has been a place where talented students live and learn in a safe environment. We have had no on-campus transmission of COVID-19 and our faculty, students, and staff continue to work together to maintain a healthy campus,” he said.

“2020 has been a challenging year unlike any other,” said USF Vice President for Admissions Eric Wignall. “High school students are feeling isolated and uncertain about the future. Freezing our tuition, room, and board costs provides some stability for planning an educational path for the students and their families.”

The university, with three campuses in Joliet and one in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was set to celebrate its centennial this year as the pandemic struck. With no in-person celebrations allowed to mark the occasion, the school was still able to complete two new campus projects, including the creation of an open-air seating area and a welcoming gateway that features a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The successful re-opening of campus, Wignall said, was made possible largely because of a comprehensive, campus-wide planning effort.

“Our faculty and staff all truly stepped up. They created plans to re-open campus this fall with all new safety and health measures in place. They redesigned courses to be available to students in online and socially distant classroom environments. And we created a series of online open house and campus visit opportunities for students who can’t travel,” he said.

“Freezing our tuition in place is just one more step to make sure students understand the value of earning a degree from St. Francis,” Wignall added.

The tuition and housing price freezes are the latest in the university’s efforts to make a USF education attainable for as many students as possible. USF launched several initiatives in 2020, including a Will County Access scholarship for local high school graduates with high financial need, scholarship programs in the sciences, and a new degree program in economics. For more information on these programs or to learn more about registration, visit stfrancis.edu/admissions-aid.

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Currently celebrating 100 years of higher education rooted in Franciscan values, the University of St. Francis, in Joliet, Ill., serves close to 4,000 students nationwide and offers undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, nursing and social work. There are over 51,000 USF alumni across the globe. For information, call 800-735-7500 or visit stfrancis.edu.

University of St. Francis: Bigger thinking. Brighter purpose.