Enhancing Affordability

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New Affordability Measures at Private, Nonprofit Colleges and Universities: Academic Year 2013-14

Last update: April 23, 2013

The following examples of new affordability initiatives demonstrate the creative ways in which private, nonprofit colleges are working to keep students' and families' out-of-pocket costs as low as possible. They are part of a growing campus affordability trend that has accelerated since the economic downturn.

Measures such as these are making a difference. Average inflation-adjusted net tuition and fees at private colleges has actually dropped by 3.5 percent from 2007-08 to 2012-13. Despite the predictions of many experts at the onset of the economic downturn, most private, nonprofit colleges continue to meet, if not exceed, their enrollment targets, largely because of their efforts to enhance affordability and value. Nevertheless, more must - and will - continue to be done by colleges to stay affordable and within reach of families from all backgrounds.

Please note: These are the examples NAICU knows of; there will be other private, nonprofit colleges introducing similar measures this fall.

See also: "Private College Tuition Increases Slow to Lowest Rate in at Least Four Decades" (Oct. 4, 2012)

Also available: Initiatives launched in 2012-13, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2009-10, 2008-09, and earlier.



New Initiatives for 2013-14



Tuition Cuts

Alaska Pacific University
Anchorage, AK

Alaska Pacific University announced they will cut tuition by 32.6% starting in fall 2013.

Belmont Abbey College
Belmont, NC

Beginning in fall 2013, Belmont Abbey College will reduce tuition by 33 perecent for incoming freshmen and transfer students. 

Concordia University
St. Paul, MN

Beginning in fall 2013, Concordia University will reduce published tuition by 33 percent for all new (freshmen and transfers) and returning undergraduate students. Room and board will also be frozen at the 2012-13 rate. 

Tuition Freezes

Alderson Broaddus College
Philippi, WV

Alderson Broaddus College froze tuition at its current level for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years. The college also froze tuition in 2011-12.

Birmingham-Southern College
Birmingham, AL

BSC will not raise tuition or fees for current or incoming students in the 2013-2014 academic year.

Donnelly College
Kansas City, KS

Donnelly College did not increase their tuition or fees for the 2013-14 academic year.

Harrisburg University
Harrisburg, PA

Harrisburg University announced a tuition freeze for both undergraduate and graduate tuition for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Hiram College
Hiram, OH

Hiram College will freeze tuition for the 2013-14 academic year.  Hiram College also has a four-year fixed tuition guarantee that has been in place for more than 5 years.

Huntington University
Huntington, IN

For the 2013-14 academic year, Huntington will freeze tuition for all incoming and returning students, including traditional undergraduates, adults enrolled in professional programs, and graduate students. 

Lyon College 
Batesville, AR

Lyon College will freeze tuition for the 2013-14 academic year.

Mercy College
Dobbs Ferry, NY

Mercy College announced a tuition freeze for the 2013-14 academic year.  Their undergraduate tuition is already well below the national average and, including fees, is $17,556 per year.

Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA

Mount Holyoke will freeze tuition, room, and board for 2013-14. It is the second consecutive year that the college has frozen its costs.

Roger Williams University
Bristol, RI

Roger Williams University is freezing tuition for 2013-14 at the 2012-2013 rates for all full-time enrolled undergraduates, including the incoming class of 2013. In addition, the university will guarantee tuition at the same price for all four years for the incoming class of 2013, and one to three years for current students, depending on current class level.

Sterling College
Sterling, KS

Sterling college announced they are freezing tuition for the 2013-14 academic year.  Mandatory fees are increasing by $50. 

The Sage Colleges
Troy, NY

The Sage Colleges will freeze tuition for the 4th consecutive year.

Thomas College
Waterville, ME

Thomas College will freeze tuition for the 2013-14 academic year. It will be the second year in a row that tuition is frozen. 

University of Evansville
Evansville, IN

In fall 2013, the University of Evansville will freeze tuition for incoming students at the current rate. Tuition will not increase for those students during their four years at UE.

Urbana University
Urbana, OH

Urbana University will not increase tuition for the 2013-2014 academic year for undergraduate students. It will be the second consecutive year that tuition is frozen at the 2011-12 rate. 

Virginia Intermont College
Bristol, VA

Virginia Intermont College announced they will not increase their tuition for the 2013-2014 academic year. 

Wilson College
Chambersburg, PA

Wilson College will hold the line on tuition for 2013-14 for full-time, undergraduate students. It will be the second consecutive year that tuition is frozen at the 2011-12 rate.

William Peace University
Raleigh, NC

William Peace University will freeze tuition for 2013-14, a year after having cut tuition by 7.7 percent.

Wittenberg University
Springfield, OH

Wittenberg University will freeze its tuition, room, board and fees for 2013-14 for all students. 

Military Scholarships in response to Sequester

Columbia College of Missouri
Columbia, MO 

Columbia College of Missouri will offer Tuition assistance cuts to servicemembers affected by cuts to tuition assistance programs.  Affected students must be eligible for military assistance programs and have a current FAFSA on file.  Columbia College will defer tuition until April 26.  It will also offer students the opportunity to withdraw from class through April 26 without financial or academic liability and will offer a six-month payment plan, with the first payment due April 26.

Drury University
Springfield, MO

Drury University will offer a deferred payment plan for students eligible for tuition assistance.  The university is encouraging students to speak with financial aid advisers.

Endicott College
Beverly, MA

Endicott College has announced that servicemembers currently enrolled will be eligible to receive a Military Scholarship equal to 50% of the tuition cost if the servicemember does not qualify for other available benefits. 

Methodist University
Fayetville, N.C. 

Methodist University is offering free tuition to active-duty military personnel for up to four courses until July.

Park University
Parkville, MO

Park University's Emergency Military Scholarship Fund will provide full tuition assistance immediately to those students who are not eligible for GI Bill benefits, Pell grants or federal loans.

Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH

Southern New Hampshire University will provide scholarships for all active-duty military students who are currently enrolled and affected by the cuts to tuition assistance programs.

Fixed-Tuition Guarantees: No increases during the years a student is enrolled

Roger Williams University
Bristol, RI

Roger Williams University will guarantee tuition at the same price for all four years for the incoming class of 2013, and one to three years for current students, depending on current class level. The university also is freezing tuition for 2013-14 at the 2012-2013 rates for all full-time enrolled undergraduates, including the incoming class of 2013. 

The Sage Colleges
Troy, NY

The Sage Colleges announced a Four-year tuition guarantee for all newly admitted students.

Fixed-Net Tuition Guarantees: No annual increases in what a student pays after student aid is taken into account

University of Dayton
Dayton, OH

Beginning in fall 2013, the University of Dayton will offer incoming students locked-in net tuition for four years. Students who receive student aid (nearly all of the university's students receive aid) will not see annual increases in what they pay after grants and scholarships are considered, while they earn their degree. All admitted students will receive a letter laying out all four years of expenses, grant aid, and financing options.  

Tuition Waivers

Union College
Barbourville, KY

Beginning in fall 2013, Union College will offer a tuition-free final semester to freshmen who maintain a 3.5 GPA, participate in extracurricular activities, and perform community service during the four years they are enrolled. A sliding scale will determine the value of the award for qualifying students whose grades fall below the B-plus standard, down to a 50-percent tuition waiver for students with GPAs between 2.5 and 2.9.

Public-University Price Matches

Loras College
Dubuque, IA

Beginning fall 2013, accepted students from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin can earn a private college education at the cost of their home state “flagship” public institution. To qualify, students need at least a 3.25 grade point average and a family income of less than $100,000 per year. 

Loan Caps

Franklin & Marshall College
Lancaster, PA

In fall 2013, Franklin & Marshall College will launch a two-year pilot program that will cap the amount of federal loans students from middle-income families would be expected to borrow at a total of $10,000 over four years. The college will replace loan amounts above the cap with grants that do not have to be repaid. Students who would qualify for institutional grants from $1 to $30,000 will be eligible for the program.  

Replacing Loans with Grants

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Under the UChicago Promise program, the university will eliminate loans from the financial aid packages of students from Chicago -- allowing them to graduate free of college debt. The initiative begins with students entering in 2013. 

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs

Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor, MI

Spring Arbor is introducing a loan repayment assistance program in fall 2013 that guarantees all incoming freshmen that if their income after graduation is low, the university will assist them in repaying their student loans. 

Four-Year Graduation Guarantees

Alma College
Alma, MI

As part of the Alma Commitment program that begins in fall 2013, Alma College promises to pick up the additional cost of completing a degree for any student who meets the school's requirements but fails to graduate within four years.

Nebraska Wesleyan University
Lincoln, NE

Beginning in fall 2013, the Nebraska Wesleyan Graduation Commitment will ensure that students who satisfy the school's requirements will graduate in four years. If a student meets the requirements but does not graduate in four years, the university will pay for the cost of completing their degree. 

Sterling College
Sterling, KS

Beginning with the freshman class of 2013, Sterling College will offer a Four-Year Graduation Guarantee.  Students must meet specific requirements to be eligible.

Trine University
Angola, IN

Trine University is offering freshmen who start in fall 2013 a Four-Year Graduation Guarantee. Students must apply within 2 weeks of starting class, be full-time students, and meet with an adviser to ensure they are on track. 

 

See initiatives launched in 2012-13, 2011-12, 2010-11, 2009-10, 2008-09, and earlier.