Weighted Average Tuition for 2008-'09

Weighted Average Tuition, what is that all about? Or as we like to call it--the WAT. I’m sure most of you have either heard or seen this phrase before if you have ever dealt with College Illinois! But it seems that most people aren’t really sure what the WAT actually means. So I’d like to take this time to give a simple explanation of what the WAT is and how it can work for you.

First allow me to explain what the Weighted Average Tuition (WAT) is. It is an amount that is set each year that is equivalent to the average tuition and fees charged at all of the Illinois’ public universities. Each year the twelve public universities report their tuition and fee rates and an average is calculated for all twelve schools, weighted by the number of full time students at each school. If your student attends a private or out of state college or university, we would pay the mean weighted average on a credit hour basis to the private or out of state school.

This years current enrollment WAT is the following:

2008-'09 Weighted Average Tuition Amounts

	Annual Amount based on 30 credit hours	Amount Per Credit Hour
Choice 1 - Community College	$2,765	$92.17
Choice 2 - University	$8,741	$291.37
Choice 3 - University+	$11,856	$395.20
Existing University Plans - Purchased prior to 2008-'09 enrollment period	$9,452	$315.07

So in the simplest form, the WAT will increase every year by as much as tuition increases in the state of Illinois. And since this increase has been by as much as 8-10% annually, your best defense is to be prepared with a 529 Prepaid Tuition Plan like College Illinois!.