Published: April 22, 2008 02:01 pm         

MSU changes how tuition is assessed

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Nearly 80 percent of Morehead State University's 9,000 students will face a smaller tuition increase than expected in 2008-09 because of a change in how tuition will be assessed, it was announced by MSU President Wayne D. Andrews.

“We originally had planned an across-the-board increase of 9.5 percent to deal with the loss of $3 million from our state appropriation and continuing inflationary increases in operating costs. However, our commitment to be compassionate yet creative in helping students and their families has produced a very positive result,” Dr. Andrews said. “This new approach means that the vast majority of our students will have a maximum increase of just 7.4 percent and for some it will be much less. In fact, the weighted average represents an increase of only about five percent.”

The MSU president noted that the new tuition model, which requires students to pay for each course in which they enroll instead of the traditional flat rate for full-time students, still must be approved by the Council on Postsecondary Education and the University’s Board of Regents. At present, none of Kentucky’s public universities use the pay-per-credit model for tuition.

Historically, MSU and the state's other public universities have charged a per-credit rate for part-time students and a flat rate for full-time students that covered from 12 to 18 credits per semester for a single price. To minimize the impact of this “pay-for-what-you-take” model on returning students, MSU will offer an 80 percent discount on all credits beyond 12 per semester. Students receiving full tuition scholarships will be covered up to 18 credits per term.

MSU's full-time students usually complete an average of 15 credits per semester. Currently, the flat rate for a full-time load is $2,640 per semester for Kentucky undergraduates. Under the new model, they would pay $225 per credit for the first 12 and $45 per credit for additional courses. Hence, the tuition for a full-time student with 15 credits this fall would be $2,835, an increase of $195 per semester which is 7.4 percent above current rates.

“About 20 percent of our students will pay a higher percentage increase but that impact has been significantly reduced by the discounted rate,” Dr. Andrews added. “We believe that it is important to encourage students to take as many credits as they can handle so they can stay on track to graduate in four years, if possible. Finishing on schedule means that students and their families will pay less, on the average, for a college education. We are in the midst of changing our academic degree requirements to make that more achievable for the majority of our students.”

MSU currently requires 128 credits for most of its bachelor's degrees. Plans are underway to reduce that figure to 120 over the next few years.

Dr. Andrews noted that the impact of tuition increases across the state also would be lessened next year because of the largest-ever increase in the federal Pell Grant - $421 per year - and by the preservation of KEES scholarship funds by the General Assembly in the new state budget.

He added:

“MSU is not unique in its budget challenges. Most other schools in the Commonwealth have raised or are expecting to raise tuition. Morehead State is committed to being the best tuition value in the state. The quality academic experience a student receives here for the associated tuition cost is one of the best values not only in Kentucky but also our entire nation.”

Additional information is available online at www.moreheadstate.edu/bestvalue or by calling the MSU Office of Enrollment Services at 783-2000.