Guaranteed tuition discussed by Student Senate
Ohio University Student Senate heard a presentation from Vice Provost Craig Cornell about the Guaranteed Tuition Program that is currently in the deliberation stage..
Student Senate received details on the basic payment structure that is set to take effect for freshmen in 2015. Student Senate Treasurer Austin LaForest helped answer some questions as he is the Student Senate representative for the Board of Trustees.
The guaranteed tuition process will set a tuition cost for each incoming freshmen class that will remain the same throughout their four years of college. Although the rate will vary by freshmen class, the cost set when a student agrees to attend Ohio University will not change throughout his or her college career.
“We are trying to find ways to be as inclusive as we can… this is not about trying to find a way to get more money out of a student or stick a student or find a back door or loophole to keep a student out,” Cornell said.
The program is set for undergraduates at this time and is in the process of working out details for any transfer students. Inside the tuition program many fees would be included but not limited to, tuition and general fee, non-resident surcharge, most course fees, orientation fee, graduation application fee and room and board. The program will work the same for out-of-state and in-state students.
The program is set up to set a starting fee for what students should expect to pay to avoid unforeseen fees. Another goal of the program is to incentivize graduation in four years so students will stick to their guaranteed rate of pay, though there are exceptions.
Financial aid is set to work about the same as it does without guaranteed tuition as it will just deduct from a student’s total tuition for the year.
Any students who start before the 2015 school year will be regarded and continuing students throughout the process. These students will pay their tuition under the current structure and once all of the continuing students have graduated, everyone will be on the guaranteed tuition structure so no one will have to switch over structures in the middle of their college career.
The guaranteed tuition program is still being worked on so no definite numbers or policies have been set.
“There are some things that I really like about it, I like that it’s really predictable for parents and families,” LaForest said.
Some of his reservations are the unknowns that are still being debated, like how residence halls and dining fees will be decided, but LaForest said that with every question that is answered he feels more comfortable with it.
LaForest’s main goal right now is to educate students on what exactly guaranteed tuition is and then get their opinion. He wants all of the senators to talk to their constituents and get overall impressions of the program in order to move forward and so he can set his stance on it based on the general student body.
“I want to see what the general opinion of students is on this… I want to educate students about it and I want to get their opinions and then I want to take a stance based off what the students on this campus feel,” LaForest said.