Board of Regents sets tuition rate

The Board of Regents has enacted a fixed tuition rate that takes effect in the fall.

"Students at four year institutions will have their tuition set for four years, while students at two year institutions will have their tuition set for three years," said Arlethia Perry-Johnson, Associate Vice Chancellor, Media & Publications for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

According to Perry-Johnson, the rationale is that students attending two year institutions are more likely to be part time students.

In-state students are not the only students that will be affected by the plan; out-of-state students will receive a fixed rate, as well.

"The tuition rate [for out-of-state students] will be approximately four times the tuition rate for in-state students," Perry-Johnson said.

The rate fix will not affect current students. Only incoming freshmen will be subject to the tuition fix.

"The policy is only going to affect incoming freshmen," Perry-Johnson said. "Students already on campus will not be affected."

"The overall goal is to create a more rapid pass through of the system," Perry-Johnson said.

The Board of Regents' solution for making students graduate sooner is to create a fixed tuition for the first four years, but have tuition rates for subsequent years be higher than normal.

"It will cost more to stay in school at that point for certain," Perry-Johnson said. "The exact amount has not yet been established."

The June board meeting on the 6th and 7th will, according to Perry-Johnson, answer specific questions brought up after the release of the new system.

"What the board will be talking about is policy, which will be reviewed and spelled out in that meeting," Perry-Johnson said.

According to Perry-Johnson, one thing that will be talked about is transfer students.

"If a student transfers from one program to another, how much time should that student

Have to graduate?" Perry-Johnson said.

Another thing the Board of Regents still has to decide is how to deal with students looking for exceptions to the rule.

"The Chancellor has made it clear that he wants the individual institutions to have some latitude in dealing with fifth year cases," Perry-Johnson said. "What the Board of Regents is doing is setting up parameters in which the individual institutions can create their own policy."

Some allowances have been built into the system, however.

"Programs that have a more expensive course load and prevent students from graduating on time, such as double majors and co-ops, have been addressed," Perry-Johnson said. "These students will be accommodated in some way."

According to Johnson, the Board of Regents still has plenty of time to decide on the details of the policy.

"We have time to hammer out those details," Perry-Johnson said. "The policy is just going into affect and we still have four years to find a solution when it comes to students staying past their fourth year."

Perry-Johnson believes that the new policy will have a positive impact on the Georgia University system.

"We believe that the new system will have a positive impact on retention and graduation rates, as well as a positive impact on facilities having to accommodate students," Perry-Johnson said.

"The system will allow parents to effectively plan for their child's college education," Perry-Johnson said. "The system takes the unpredictably out of paying for college. We are proud of the fact that Georgia has some of the lowest tuitions in the nation, and now with that affordability we have added the element of predictability, as well."