Lowering Iowa State University Tuition The context of Iowa State University tuition costs Iowa State University is a land-grant school which, among other things, means that the university receives money from the state of Iowa from taxes that residents pay to the state. For this reason, in-state residents who choose to go to college do not have to pay a large amount of money while out-of-state residents have to pay almost double. Iowa State University has no reciprocity, meaning that residents of surrounding states, Minnesota, Illinois, etc., must also pay the full cost of out-of-state tuition. Out-of-state residents must pay about $9,000 a year in tuition, while Iowa residents only pay about $2,500 a year. (See fig1 for semester costs)Cost of attendance for university studentsFig1. Semester Cost Nonresident ResidentTuitions $1393 $4673Room/board $2085.50 $2085.50Books/supplies $342 $342Fees $109 $109TOTAL $3,929.50 $7,209.50Source: Iowa State University Homepage, www.iastate.edu/~ fin_aid_infoTuition helps pay for all tuition services and programs of a University. However, some universities invest more money in one or two programs or colleges to make them stronger areas of study within the university. Not all colleges or departments in a university have the same quality of courses or facilities. For example, Iowa State University invests much of its money in engineering and agriculture programs, thereby increasing the quality of those programs. This is how students choose the university that is best for them. A student bases his or her decision on which college to attend by examining what programs a particular university......middle of paper......more information and office email addresses go to the Iowa State University web page at www.iastate.edu. From there you can reach any office or department of the University. Keep in mind that it is the student's job to express their opinions to the University, and it is the university's job to listen. Without us, there is no Iowa State! Works Cited Hauser, Andrea. “Regents Raise Tuition by 4.3%.” Iowa State Daily October 22, 1999: 1. Iowa State University Financial Aid Office. (No date). How much does it really cost? [Online]. (1998). Available http: http://www.iastate.edu/~fin_aid_info/ General Topics/cost.html [1999, October 29]. Iowa State University Office of Institutional Research. (No date). ISU information book [online]. (1998-1999). Available http: http://www.iastate.edu/~inst_res_info/factbk.html [1999, October 29].