Tuition Rates to increase for fall's incoming freshmen
Nicholas Francis
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News
Higher education will soon come at a higher cost for students in Georgia.
The Georgia Board of Regents voted unanimously on April 14 to repeal the four-year-old Guaranteed Tuition Policy that requires a student's tuition costs to remain the same during the course of an average four-year undergraduate career.
Commonly referred to as "Fixed for Four," the Guaranteed Tuition Policy was instituted in 2006 by the Board of Regents to "provide better financial planning for students and families," according to a press release by the University System of Georgia.
The board cites serious statewide budget cuts as the reason for their decision.
"The continuation of the Guaranteed Tuition Plan was contingent upon no budget reductions, and for the 2010 fiscal year, the University System of Georgia's state appropriations have been reduced by 11.9 percent, or $274 million," said Erroll B. Davis Jr, chancellor of Georgia's Board of Regents.
Students who enrolled in fall 2006, 2007 or 2008, will continue to be covered by the Guaranteed Tuition Plan, and will pay the same cost per credit-hour that they have been previously paying since their initial enrollment.
Once students have exhausted the four-year life of their tuition guarantee, they can expect to see a nine to 10 percent increase in the cost of an average semester's tuition.
Freshmen enrolling for the first time in fall 2009 will also pay the fall 2008 rate, with no guarantee regarding the future cost of their tuition.
Another aspect of the "Fixed for Four" policy, which will no longer be offered to incoming freshmen, directly affects students who plan to be enrolled "full-time."
In the past, students have been considered to be enrolled "full-time" if they were enrolled in 12 credit hours of course work during any given semester.
Those who chose to enroll in credit hours that exceeded the "full-time" designation were not required to pay any additional tuition costs for the extra credit hours, with a limit placed at 15 hours.
The Georgia Board of Regents voted unanimously on April 14 to repeal the four-year-old Guaranteed Tuition Policy that requires a student's tuition costs to remain the same during the course of an average four-year undergraduate career.
Commonly referred to as "Fixed for Four," the Guaranteed Tuition Policy was instituted in 2006 by the Board of Regents to "provide better financial planning for students and families," according to a press release by the University System of Georgia.
The board cites serious statewide budget cuts as the reason for their decision.
"The continuation of the Guaranteed Tuition Plan was contingent upon no budget reductions, and for the 2010 fiscal year, the University System of Georgia's state appropriations have been reduced by 11.9 percent, or $274 million," said Erroll B. Davis Jr, chancellor of Georgia's Board of Regents.
Students who enrolled in fall 2006, 2007 or 2008, will continue to be covered by the Guaranteed Tuition Plan, and will pay the same cost per credit-hour that they have been previously paying since their initial enrollment.
Once students have exhausted the four-year life of their tuition guarantee, they can expect to see a nine to 10 percent increase in the cost of an average semester's tuition.
Freshmen enrolling for the first time in fall 2009 will also pay the fall 2008 rate, with no guarantee regarding the future cost of their tuition.
Another aspect of the "Fixed for Four" policy, which will no longer be offered to incoming freshmen, directly affects students who plan to be enrolled "full-time."
In the past, students have been considered to be enrolled "full-time" if they were enrolled in 12 credit hours of course work during any given semester.
Those who chose to enroll in credit hours that exceeded the "full-time" designation were not required to pay any additional tuition costs for the extra credit hours, with a limit placed at 15 hours.
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