Flat
rate approved to equal cost of 18 hours
By Carrie
Woodall
Staff Reporter
TCU officials
will announce today that they approved flat-rate tuition for incoming,
full-time students and determined a tuition increase for current,
full-time students.
The university
fee for new students will be $7,500 a semester, beginning in fall
2001. Current students will pay an increase of 7.7 percent jumping
from $390 to $420 a credit hour. With the increased rate, incoming
students will pay for approximately 18 hours regardless of the number
enrolled.
Chancellor
Ferrari said in January that the new tuition policy will move TCU
in the direction of other high-caliber universities.
The
flat fee encourages a higher four-year graduation rate, which is
a major goal of every top-ranked private school, he said.Ray
Brown, dean of admissions, said the four-year graduation rate at
TCU is not what it should be.
Because
of the quality of institution TCU is, we should have a much higher
graduation rate, he said. As the quality of an institution
goes up, its graduation rate should also goes up.
He said the
university should be graduating around 60 percent of the students
in a four-year period. But currently only between 40 and 50 percent
of students are graduating that soon.
Ferrari said
the flat rate will help TCU stand out more as a private institution.
The
advantage of going to a private university is for the entire academic
and student experience, he said. This is why most private
schools have semester tuition plans.
Brown said
the university was one of the only private schools to charge an
hourly credit rate.
Its
difficult to find another private institution that charges by credit
hour, he said. We are an institution that does not need
to look like a public school.
Courtney Jones,
a junior elementary education major, said she is satisfied with
the decision to make the flat-rate tuition apply only to incoming
students.
Im
glad the flat rate wont affect (current students), because
I will only be taking 12 (hours) next fall and nine (hours) the
following spring, she said. Ill be a senior, so
I dont have many hours left to complete. The flat rate would
cause me to lose money.
Mike Scott,
director of scholarships and student financial aid, said the flat
rate will be beneficial to financial aid business.
The
flat rate enables us to not have to adjust costs for some scholarships,
he said. Many scholarships can be put at a flat fee, because
the tuition is a constant number.
Zach Collins,
a sophomore tuba performance major, said he agrees with the flat
rate, but wants the option to be available for current students
also.
I think
the university fee is OK, he said. I just wish we had
the option for the flat rate in case we decide to take 17 or 18
hours.
Ferrari said
the universitys flat fee will enhance the educational experience
at TCU.
(The
flat rate) reflects the total TCU educational experience rather
than seat or hour time in classes, he said. The TCU
educational experience is more than time in class.
Carrie
Woodall
c.d.woodall@student.tcu.edu
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