The state Board of Regents is requesting $619 million from the Iowa Legislature in funding for the next budget year — a sizable decrease from last year after its full request wasn’t granted. 

The regents will ask for a $619 million appropriations request —  $14.8 million more this year compared to $32 million last year — for the next budget year that starts July 1, 2024, during their next meetings in Iowa City on Sept. 28. 

Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed $588 million in funding for Iowa’s higher education system during the last budget year after requesting $610.5 million. 

The $14.8 million funding increase request includes $4.5 million in general education funding for the University of Iowa, in addition to $4.5 million for Iowa State University and $5.8 for the University of Northern Iowa. 

In addition to an increase in general education funding, the UI will request an increase of $500,000 to fund its State Hygienic Laboratory. Another UI request for $10 million is to fund “Rural Iowa Healthcare,” a new initiative to provide the UI Hospitals and Clinics resources and staff in rural areas around the state, aiming to fill a growing healthcare divide in rural Iowa. 

In a Monday news release, the UI said they would be seeking $10 million a year from the state to expand access to medical testing and telehealth, and to develop incentives to recruit healthcare staff to work in rural Iowa through the newly formed partnership with rural providers. 

“Our goal is to improve health care outcomes for Iowans, especially rural Iowans who may be struggling to find specialized care due to a lack of providers and facilities,” UI President Barbara Wilson said in a Monday news release. 

The UI said in a statement Monday that the $4.5 million increase is intended to help the university maintain competitive financial aid opportunities and to keep tuition affordable. 

At a meeting on June 14, the regents approved a $305 increase to undergraduate tuition and a $381 increase to graduate tuition at the UI.