Tuition is a tax just like any other when the school is a public institution. In a time when situations are dire, and many students are financially burdened to go to school, especially middle class students, the University of Illinois is raising tuition by alomst 5%.
They blame the tuition hike on the budget shortfall from the state of Illinois, and lots of unpaid debt. Which goes to show, if the state of Illinois didn't practice Keynesian policies of "spend against the wind" the university system probably wouldn't be in the situation it is now.