The cost of living on the Ball State University campus will remain highly competitive as compared to its peer institutions and in-state schools as a result of a 1.6 percent increase in the room and board rates for the 2018-19 academic year. On Dec. 15, Ball State’s Board of Trustees approved a 2 percent rate increase for first-time students while returning students enrolled in the University’s premium plan, which locks in costs for a two-year period, will experience no increase from the prior year.