In May the UM System Board of Curators voted to approve a new tuition model. The board also approved a flat-rate tuition structure for full-time students, and it will determine the rates this spring. These changes will go into effect in each of the four UM System universities next fall.
The flat-rate aspect of the tuition model means full-time students can expect to pay the same amount regardless of whether they take 12 or 18 credit hours. According to a news release from the UM System Board of Curators, students are incentivized to take at least 15 hours each semester under this structure to help them graduate faster.
“Our priority is student success, and this new structure will enable students to graduate sooner and with less debt,” Mun Choi, UM System president and MU chancellor, said in the news release.
One exception to the flat rate, or “plateau rate,” is graduate students, Stephanie Fleming, assistant director of the MU News Bureau, said.
“Graduate programs will also have tiered pricing eliminating supplemental fees, but will continue to pay per credit hour rather than switch to a semester plateau rate due to the nature of many graduate programs,” Fleming said.
According to the news release, “The new tuition structure consolidates 64 separate supplemental course fees for undergraduates.” These fees will be incorporated into several different tuition rates.
While the Board of Curators will not determine rates for the new tuition until next semester, students can expect to pay different rates depending on their course of study with the slimmed-down tuition structure.
“The goal with this new model is that it’s going to make tuition simpler and more predictable,” Fleming said. “We’ve heard for years from students and parents, when they receive a bill listing tuition and supplemental course fees, that it’s really confusing … It also gives students an opportunity to explore courses outside of their majors that they might not have otherwise taken due to what previously would have been an additional cost,” Fleming said.
While this may be a big shift for some students, Fleming encourages students to use the resources available to them to navigate the change and take advantage of the new model.
“Now, we are very cognizant of the fact that 15 hours, 18 hours might not be the right decision for certain students in certain terms. So, that flat rate, that plateau pricing, will be available,” Fleming said. “We continue to encourage students to work with their advisers and develop a course schedule that is the most suitable for them and their course of study.”
Edited by Zoe Homan | zhoman@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Grace Locke and Jacob Richey | jrichey@themaneater.com
