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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
An elevated view of the Illini Union at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Photo taken on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. (Photo by Fred Zwicky / University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

University of Illinois System Opposes New Higher Education Funding Legislation

By Greg Halbleib Feb 26, 2026 | 7:21 AM

The president of the University of Illinois System said Wednesday that negotiations are continuing over legislation to overhaul the way the state funds higher education, but the state’s flagship university remains opposed to the legislation in its current form.

Tim Killeen told Capital News Illinois that the proposed formula ranks the Urbana-Champaign campus as the most adequately funded school and would be last on the priority list for new funding.

Killeen said all public universities play an important role and enhanced resources are important, but the formula siphons resources from the flagship U of I, which he said educates 53 percent of the state’s undergraduates.