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Legislative update from Rep. Sharon Steckman

From Rep. Sharon Steckman –

unnamedThank you to all that attended the Medicaid Privatization forum yesterday. It was an excellent discussion and testimonies from those trying to deal with privatization of Medicaid. Heartbreaking stories! Jeremy Mc Grath (pictured) discussed issues surrounding payments to the only ambulance service in Chickasaw county.

College Students Back on Campus

An estimated 300,000 students will be heading back to school at Iowa’s three state universities, 15 community colleges, and 37 non-profit private colleges this month.

At the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa, students from Iowa will pay at least an additional $250 in tuition for undergraduate classes, business and engineering students will see an increase of $500 to $800. Out-of-state undergraduate tuition at the University of Iowa will increase by $400.

Iowa graduates already accumulate one of the highest debts to go to college in the country, and this will more than likely increase that problem. The tuition increase came after the House Majority only approved a $6.3 million increase in state funds last session for all of the State universities to operate under next year, well short of the $20.3 million needed to maintain a tuition freeze.

In addition, the Iowa Board of Regents, which governs the three state universities, is under new scrutiny this week after taking more than $3.6 million from the universities to cover a shortfall in expenses for the board’s central office.

For the first time in two years, the Legislature also increased funding to community colleges by $3 million next year. While the additional dollars will likely prevent a large tuition increase this fall, Iowa already has the third highest community college tuition of the Midwest states.

Sharon Steckman
Sharon Steckman

Iowa College Programs Work to Reduce Student Debt

Recent legislative tours of the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and Grandview College highlighted programs that have been effective in reducing student debt. According to the Institute for College Access and Success, Iowa ranks 8th in the country in the amount of average debt students graduate with. Iowa students statewide currently average $29,732 in debt upon graduation.

GV Complete

Grandview’s program, called GV Complete, provides financial counseling with specific estimated costs for each year of attendance. Participating students are guaranteed a fixed tuition increase of 2% annually and academic advising to ensure graduation within four years.

As a result, the class of 2020 will have an average debt of just over $29,000 for this private college, while the average debt of the class of 2014 was over $38,000.

UNI’s Live Like a Student

The Live Like a Student program at UNI will be starting its seventh year and has also achieved great results. The program is credited for helping UNI students reduce their average student loan debt by 13%, bucking the national trend.

Students gain a greater understanding of how their actions today will affect their financial future. The course teaches students how to budget effectively and manage financial goals. The programming includes non¬credit classes, small group workshops and financial counseling, all of which work to break down the complexities of financial aid, student loans, credit reports and credit cards.

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