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Enhancing Affordability

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As consumers continue to struggle with the impact of the economic downturn, and worry about the cost of higher education, more private nonprofit colleges and universities are working to stay within financial reach for students and families from all backgrounds.

The examples below demonstrate the ways in which private institutions are redoubling their efforts to keep consumers' out-of-pocket costs as low as possible, while maintaining their academic excellence and personal approach to educating students. Note: These are the examples NAICU knows of; there may be other private, nonprofit colleges introducing similar measures this fall. 

Examples of New Affordability Initiatives for 2010-11

(Also see continuing initiatives launched in 2009-10, 2008-09, and earlier)



Tuition Freezes

These institutions are freezing tuition for the 2010-11 academic year at 2009-10 rates. In the past two years, an unprecedented number of private, nonprofit colleges have frozen tuition and fees.

AIB College of Business (Des Moines, IA)

Culver-Stockton College (Canton, MO)

Franklin Pierce College (Rindge, NH)

Fresno Pacific University (Fresno, CA)

Hiram College (Hiram, OH)

Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)

Martin University (Indianapolis, IN )

Mid-Continent University (KY)

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (Minneapolis, MN)

The Sage Colleges (Albany/Troy, NY)

Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)

Thomas Aquinas College (Santa Paula, CA)

(Also see 2009-10 tuition freezes) 


Three-Year Bachelor's Degrees

Three-year bachelor's degree programs have received considerable attention recently as a cheaper alternative to the traditional four-year model. Several institutions have introduced three-year options for some of their academic programs, while a growing number of colleges explore the possibility of doing so.

Ursuline College (Pepper Pike, OH)

University of Akron (Akron, OH)

(Also see accelerated programs introduced in 2009-10)


Job Guarantees

Albion College (Albion, MI)

The college has unveiled the "Albion Advantage Pledge," a plan for helping all students develop career goals. It comes with a pledge: Albion will help graduates who struggle to fulfill those goals, by finding them internships or by offering them a free semester of noncredit study.

(Also see job and four-year graduation guarantees introduced in 2009-10)


Significantly Lower Tuition Increases

Agnes Scott College (Decatur, GA)

Agnes Scott is increasing tuition by 2.9 percent, the second lowest increase in at least 35 years.

Babson College (Babson Park, MA)

Babson is increasing tuition by 3.2 percent, the lowest increase in 20 years.

Boston College

BC is increasing tuition by 3.5 percent, the lowest increase in 35 years.

Lafayette College (Easton, PA)

Lafayette is increasing tuition by 2.9 percent, the lowest increase in more than 35 years.

Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA)

Lehigh is increasing by 3 percent, one of the smallest increases in 40 years.

Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)

Skidmore is increasing its comprehensive fee (tuition, fees, and room and board) by 1.9 percent, the lowest increase in more than 40 years. 

Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)

Syracuse is increasing tuition by 4 percent, the lowest increase in 44 years.

University of Denver (Denver, CO)

DU is increasing tuition by 2.9 percent, the lowest increase in 30 years.

University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)

Penn is increasing tuition by 3.8 percent, one of the lowest increases in 42 years.

(Also see institutions with significantly lower tuition increases in 2009-10)


Long-term Caps on Tuition Increases

Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)

Middlebury is capping annual increases in its comprehensive fee (the equivalent of tuition, room, and board at other private colleges) at 1 percentage point above the Consumer Price Index indefinitely.

Matching Public University Tuition

California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA)

CLU is expanding its program that provides a private-college education at a public-university price to include students accepted at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Davis, for 2010-2011. The CLU Guaranteed Scholarship allows incoming students who are also admitted to one of four UC schools to attend CLU for the cost of attending the public university. The other universities are UCLA and UC Santa Barbara.