University of St. Francis to freeze tuition, housing prices until fall of 2022

The University of St. Francis in Joliet announced it's frozen all tuition and housing prices at their current levels until the fall of 2022.

USF announced the move in an email to all students and applicants this week, according to a news release.

"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," USF President Arvid Johnson said in the release. "By freezing tuition, USF can make planning for college easier and increase the value of our offerings to students."

Johnson said USF 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 in the release.

The tuition and housing rate freeze applies to in-state and out-of-state students.

Johnson added that on-campus housing has provided a safe environment for students. He said there is "no on-campus transmission of COVID-19," in the release.

“2020 has been a challenging year unlike any other,” USF Vice President for Admissions Eric Wignall said in the release. “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.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, USF scaled down its pre-planned centennial celebrations throughout this year, though it was still able to complete two campus beautification projects.

Despite the pandemic, USF officials attributed the successful reopening of campus to a "comprehensive, campus-wide planning effort."

"Our faculty and staff all truly stepped up," Wignall said in the release. "They created plans to re-open campus this fall with all new safety and health measures in place."

USF has made other efforts to lower costs, including a Will County access scholarship for high school students. For more information, go to stfrancis.edu/admissions-aid.