The University of Iowa Athletics Department is chopping $50 off the price of student football tickets in an effort to increase attendance.

This comingseason, student season tickets will cost $125, which will save them $50 from last year’s price of $175, if ordered by May 15.

“The goal, of course, is to increase participation by our students at our home football games by making it more affordable,” Rick Klatt, the associate athletics director for external relations, wrote in an email.

He said the decision to provide a discount on student season tickets was a response to the decline in student attendance.

According to the Athletics Department, around 6,400 student tickets were sold for 2014, which was a decline from 7,300 in 2013.

The Daily Iowan previously reported the 10,000 tickets allotted for students at football games had sold out in previous years.

Klatt said he hasn’t put a number on the boost the department would like to see, but things are looking up.

“We are optimistic, based on our research and the feedback that we’ve received directly from UI students, that by making season tickets more affordable, we are addressing one of the primary reasons students told us they didn’t renew or purchase season tickets a year ago,” Klatt said.

Despite the decrease in cost, some UI students said declining quality of football is still going to keep them from purchasing student tickets.  

“I don’t have season tickets because tailgates are more interesting than seeing below-average football games,” UI junior Trevor Heimke said.

The tailgate culture was a common reason UI students said they would rather be outside Kinnick on game day.

“I would have just as much fun if I wasn’t at the game,” UI freshman Nick Adduce said.

He said although he wouldn’t use the promotion, it could have an effect on other students.

“I believe because $50 is a pretty big price reduction that students will buy the tickets,” Adduce said.

The price of tickets has been $175 since 2011; before that, it hasn’t been as low as $125 since 2005. 

Students who were planning to purchase season tickets said the reduction is just a bonus because they would have bought them anyway.

“I would have purchased them regardless,” UI sophomore Emily Hawkins said.

“It’s nice to save money, because I’m broke; tuition is already too much,” UI sophomore Hayley Simon said.

Klatt said in a release Monday around 6,400 students isn’t where the department wants to be, but many students have to balance academic demands, keeping jobs, and being with their friends.

“Since I work on Saturdays, I can’t, but if I wasn’t, the price would have been a major factor [in purchasing tickets],” UI sophomore Megan Major said.

While the promotion sees a decrease in price for those who buy the full home schedule, single-game tickets haven’t seen a promotion yet.

“There were a select few games that I wanted to go to with a group of friends, and I think it will be much easier to buy tickets to the individual games rather than scramble to sell a majority of my tickets,” UI sophomore Haley Hollern said.

Even with the price cut, she said, it isn’t worth getting the full schedule to only go to a few games.

“We are considering several [promotions] and will be finalizing those decisions in the weeks to come,” he said.