From Illinois House Republicans and the Illinois Policy Institute:
Press conference: Illinois must review higher education funding as enrollment cliff nears
CHICAGO (March 10, 2026) — Illinois is losing students and talent as enrollment at its public universities declines and nearly half of college-bound students leave the state for other schools.
State must act to stop losing students and talent
With the college-age population projected to fall sharply by 2041, lawmakers and policy experts say Illinois must review how its higher education system is funded and develop a long-term plan to keep universities affordable, competitive and sustainable.
What: Virtual press conference on the future of Illinois higher education and the need for reforms, including House Bill 5037, which would encourage a third party or the Illinois Board of Higher Education to conduct an in-depth study of state universities. The study would help lawmakers identify where enrollment numbers cannot justify inflated costs, where consolidation or specialization makes sense, and how to protect students, taxpayers and the state’s long-term economic goals without needlessly pumping more funding into the system.
When: 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 11
Where: Zoom. Please email JSikes@hrs.ilga.gov for log-in details. The event also will be broadcast online at Blueroom Stream and the House Republican Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/ILHouseGOP
Who:
- State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, Illinois House Republican Conference chair and HB 5037 sponsor representing the 70th District.
- Mark Batinick, senior fellow at Illinois Policy and former state representative for the 97th District from 2015 to 2023.
Background:
- Illinois higher education enrollment dropped about 29% from 2009 to 2024, a loss of over 106,000 students. This is expected to decline further, as the state will see a 32% drop in high school graduates by 2041.
- In-state tuition at Illinois’ public universities is up 66% on average since 2009 and now ranks ninth-highest nationwide. The increased tuition drives talented students out of Illinois; In 2021, 48% of Illinois students bound for four-year colleges opted for out-of-state schools.
- A different bill in Springfield would lock Illinois’ higher education funding formula to past funding levels and prioritize funding for schools with fewer students. Meanwhile, schools with growing enrollment could receive smaller funding increases.
- Despite serving fewer students, Illinois’ public universities spent $24,562 per full-time student in 2023, the second most nationwide and more than double the national average.
