Students struggling to complete the four-year plan for their degree received good news Wednesday.

Senate Bill SB3222 could save thousands of dollars for students who take more than four years to graduate passed the Senate Wednesday. The bill would lock in year-after-enrollment tuition rates and will now move to the House.

The bill states any student who has been enrolled in an Illinois university for four years can attend for two more years with substantial tuition savings. Students could not be charged a tuition rate that exceeds the amount the respective institution charged for the year following the student’s initial enrollment.

For example, students enrolled in 2006-07 would be charged the 2007-08 tuition rate for their fifth and sixth year.  The potential savings for students at SIUC who enrolled in 2006-07 needing a fifth year would be close to $4,000 per year, according to the SIUC cost calculator.

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