Ohio University students will not pay a reduced tuition rate next year, despite efforts from colleges nationwide to make themselves more marketable and competitive to students.
Seton Hall University, in South Orange, N.J., is offering a tuition discount of more than 60 percent next year to students who performed well academically in high school, granting incoming freshmen the opportunity to pay an annual tuition rate of $10,104 rather than the university’s normal cost of $31,440 each year.
However, OU officials said the university has other ways to help students save money and has no plans to offer similar discounts.
Seton Hall University’s students will be placed in the new tuition rate program if they graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class and earn a 27 on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT, with no score below 550. Students who meet those criteria will immediately pay the reduced tuition rate without having to fill out an additional application.
“We feel that it is very difficult for students in this economy,” said Alyssa McCloud, vice president for enrollment management at Seton Hall University.
“Applying (for college) is confusing for students. We had lots of concern and worry. The process is daunting and confusing. This will hopefully be a more straightforward way to understand the bottom-line costs.”
However, OU has no plans to offer blanket cuts to the tuition rate.
“We are constantly evaluating and making changes,” said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management. “We have not looked into that sort of model. The idea of giving money to high achieving high school students is not unique by any stretch of the imagination.”
OU does not offer a blanket tuition reduction rate for academically proficient high school students. However, OU offers almost 1,000 scholarships based on both need and merit to shave down tuition costs, Cornell said.
“We have more variable scholarships based on variable criteria,” Cornell said. “Any kind of a program, though, is beneficial for recruiting and student affordability. It is why we have scholarships, with the need to make college as affordable as possible.”
The Gateway Scholarship is one of the programs OU offers based solely on merit, rather than financial need. The highest Gateway award is a four-year scholarship valued at in-state tuition. This award is offered to incoming students with a minimum 3.0 GPA and 32 ACT or 1400 SAT score.
Students also have the opportunity to study at one of OU’s seven regional campuses or centers, where they can avoid paying the residential costs, assuming the campus is closer to home, said Becky Watts, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis.
“There is a full spectrum of programs that address access to college affordability,” Watts said. “There are opportunities for our students across the spectrum that assists students in reaching their goals at Ohio University.”
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