INDIANAPOLIS — Ivy Tech Community College became the latest university on Thursday to announce plans for a tuition freeze for students, following Purdue and Indiana universities unveiling similar proposals.
But it’s too soon to know if University of Southern Indiana will follow suit. University officials said Thursday they are working to finalize a recommendation on tuition for the public to review — and for the college’s Board of Trustees to act on in July.
“Once we come up with what we’ll propose, we’ll put that out in public notice,” said Cindy Brinker, USI’s vice president of government and university relations.
On Thursday, Ivy Tech rolled out a plan to freeze tuition for students who remain enrolled semester-to-semester beginning in the fall. The freeze also covers students who take a total of 30 or more credit hours during the fall 2015 and spring 2016 semesters, according to a statement from the college.
Ivy Tech’s proposal follows IU’s president announcing that he’s recommending a tuition freeze over the next two years for Hoosier undergraduate students attending the university’s main campus in Bloomington. However, tuition increases are planned at IU for out-of-state students and those attending regional campuses. Purdue University plans to continue its tuition freeze at its West Lafayette campus for the next two years, though regional campuses are expected to see increases.
Jonathan Weinzapfel, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s now combined Southwest and Wabash Valley regions, said the tuition freeze is a positive move. Student debt is an issue nationwide, Weinzapfel said, and the university feels an obligation to try to keep tuition costs affordable.
“We would love to see as many students as possible to be able to take advantage of this,” Weinzapfel said. “Not only enroll, but continue to persist through graduation. At Ivy Tech, we have a lot of students come in for a semester or two then maybe take a semester off and then come back. It’s in the student’s best interest to continuously be enrolled at Ivy Tech as they work toward their certificate or their degree. That’s the best pathway to their success.”
To qualify for the freeze, an Ivy Tech student needs to complete six credit hours per semester, as well as three credit hours during next summer’s semester, according to a news release.
USI currently offers the lowest tuition of all four-year institutions in the state, including main and regional campuses, Brinker said. The school also received a below-average funding increase in the upcoming state budget — approximately $1 million in new funding over the biennium. The budget begins this July and runs through June 2017.
In 2013, USI approved tuition increases for students, with costs rising about $270 dollars per year for full-time students during both the current and former academic years.