INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Indiana University Board of Trustees approved on-campus room and board rates for the 2013-14 academic year during the business portion of its regularly scheduled meeting today at the IUPUI campus.

At IU Bloomington, where about 12,400 students live in residence halls and student apartments, the cost of the most commonly requested room-and-board package will increase 3.48 percent, roughly in line with inflation figures for food and housing. Individual rate increases will vary somewhat depending on the residence hall and meal plan chosen.

The most common room-and-board package, which is selected by nearly two-thirds of the IU Bloomington students living on campus, includes an air-conditioned, double-occupancy room in a mid-amenity residence hall and a standard meal plan. Demand for housing on the IU Bloomington campus remains strong, with occupancy above 97 percent this year.

In her presentation to the trustees, interim Chief Financial Officer MaryFrances McCourt said the increases are necessary to cover inflation, student life programming, required depreciation and maintenance costs as well as bond repayment for new construction. Until the past five years, little housing renovation had occurred on the Bloomington campus in nearly 40 years.

McCourt added that the university also worked hard to keep the increase for next year to a minimum and that IU Bloomington’s student housing costs are expected to remain relatively low when compared to other Big Ten schools. The average student housing cost at IU Bloomington is eighth among Big Ten universities this year.

Rate increases for the most prevalent room and board package at other IU campuses are as follows:

IUPUI: 3.5 percent
IU South Bend: 2.5 percent
IU Southeast: 1.5 percent