Dive Brief:
- Millersville University of Pennsylvania used its tuition fee structure as a way to address part of an $8 million budget deficit in 2014.
- University Business reports that the university started charging students per credit, rather than a flat fee per semester for anywhere between 12 and 18 credits, pulling in $4 million in the first year — even with a tuition cut.
- While there were some decreases in the number of students engaging in internships and declaring double majors or secondary minors, enrollment held steady, with fall 2016 freshman enrollment slightly up from last year.
Dive Insight:
Most schools offer a flat tuition rate for a slight range in coursework. In some ways, that makes billing easier. But at Millersville, per-credit charges may have encouraged students to pay closer attention to their bills. Since implementing the new fee structure, the university has seen fewer non-payments. Millersville rolled back tuition for the first year of the change, offering to ease the blow for students taking higher courseloads. It plans to slowly restore the fees to full tuition over the next couple years. Just in the first year, Millersville generated an additional $4 million in tuition from its 8,500 graduate and undergraduate students.