Tuition and fees will jump 5 percent for resident students at the University of Idaho next year, and 8 percent for non-resident students. Idaho’s state Board of Education agreed on the increases after hours of debate and numerous failed motions at a meeting on the U of I’s Moscow campus on Wednesday; you can read my full story here at spokesman.com.

“We as a board have a duty to keep costs as low as possible for our students,” said board member Andy Scoggin. “It is our responsibility to strike a balance between that duty and the need to provide the resources that our institutions need to accomplish their missions.”

The board also approved 5 percent increases for resident students at Boise State University, with a matching 5 percent hike for out-of-state students there. Students at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston will pay 4.5 percent more in tuition and fees next year, whether they’re in-state or out-of-state students. At Idaho State University in Pocatello, the tuition and fee increase was set at 3.5 percent for in-state students, and 5 percent for non-residents.