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Flexible Pricing Plan

Millersville University is implementing a new, flexible pricing plan for tuition, which will be effective with the fall 2014 semester.

 

Millersville University is implementing a new, flexible pricing plan for tuition, which will be effective with the fall 2014 semester.

Under the new pricing structure, students will be billed for tuition on a per-credit-hour cost of $264 per credit. This pricing model replaces the past pricing structure which charged a flat rate for full-time students who were enrolled in 12-18 credits. It brings Millersville in line with higher education institutions across the nation, which have been charging on a per-credit-hour basis.

The Board of Governors (BOG) of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education approved this flexible pricing plan for Millersville University at their meeting July 8. At that same time, the BOG approved a $99 per-semester tuition increase (3 percent) for the 2014-15 academic year for all schools except Millersville University, since our institution has adopted the per-credit-hour model.

Under Millersville’s new per-credit pricing model, the cost this fall will be $264 per credit. This amount is based on a 7 percent reduction from the per-credit rate of $276 (based on a full 12 credit load) from the last academic year, combined with the 3 percent increase approved by the BOG.

Students are encouraged to check their MAX accounts for billing and financial aid information. Bills for the fall 2014 semester will be available July 21 and are due on August 6. Any updates to financial aid packages can be viewed on the MAX account and awards will be made no later than August 6.

For complete information, FAQs and to see annual tuition cost estimates under the new per-credit tuition model, please visit the bursar’s office tuition and fees page at: http://www.millersville.edu/bursar/costs.php.

 

12 replies on “Flexible Pricing Plan”

I went to this school this past spring because of the affordable tuition, and even then, I still have to take out loans. Now with this new plan, the next two years are screwed up for me! I am going to have to drop my minor now because two-three of my classes for my major are 6 credit classes… So I cannot afford to take extra classes…Thanks MU, for screwing not only me, but other students who struggle to pay for college in the first place… I love how I got my notification letter AFTER this plan was put into place. A letter beforehand would have been better ’cause I would have been more prepared.

I will have 3 students enrolled here in the fall. While I understand the budget issues, it is absolutely unfair to do this days before the start of the semester. It is also unfair to do it to students who already have a degree in progress! Decisions have been made on semesters preceding this change that now have a severe cost implication because of the change. At the minimum, existing students need to be grandfathered. Then new students can make decisions on where they seek their education based on your new “flexible pricing plan”, which I will add, only allows people the flexibility to pay for their education over 5 years instead of 4, which is how long it would take to get a degree at 12 credits per semester.

The most insulting thing about this is the attempt to spin it as a positive. You are making the assumption that we all have no intelligence and will embrace this as a benefit instead of a 20% price increase, which is what it is.

Finally, I would hope that Millersville would not want to be compared to Community Colleges and other 2-year schools, which are the only others that operate on a per-credit basis.

I am hoping that upon further consideration, the University and/or the PASSHE Board of Governers will realize the unfairness of this situation and resolve for the people that are already enrolled, and then call this what to really is…a necessary tuition increase due to economic conditions.

This was a rather unhappy surprise for me as well. I’ve been a student at Millersville for three semesters. This fall was the first I was going to be taking 15 credits and benefiting from the “non-flexible” pricing. A few weeks ago I got a letter informing me of the change, which means I’ll be paying $600 more this fall than I had anticipated. Kind of rough for a pay-as-you-go student.

Utterly unconscionable. My daughter is also an incoming freshman. We feel victims of a bait and switch. Her degree plus gen ed requirements for graduation are 130 credits. This boils down to base tuition of $8,580 per year, where she would have paid $6,820 at the other state schools. That’s not including the minor she wanted to take, which will now cost an additional $3,168 (not including future hikes) over the 4 years. To someone wanting to take full advantage of full time tuition over 4 years, this results to a loss of 24 credits or $10,737 dollars.

At the very least, you should have rated the per credit cost on the average between 12-18 credits (full time range) or 15 credits, instead of the minimal 12 (which almost no one takes).

As an alumnus I am ashamed and disgusted.

I am confused. Dr. Anderson stated that the rate of inflation for higher education was 2.8 percent. Every other school in the state had an increase of 3 percent. Our out of state enrollment has increased which has a higher profit margin. All of these are facts, yet I have to pay almost 20 percent more over the next year and those who take 18 credits have seen their tuition go up by 44 percent. The numbers simply do not add up. *Waits for copy-paste response from the editor*

Indeed, this is quite a surprise and disappointment. My daughter is coming to Millersville in the Fall as a Freshman. We based our decision in part on the costs associated with attendance at this school. It is too late to make a different choice. We should have been been informed earlier (prior to May 1) that this was a possibility. Perhaps the school should implement a “grandfather clause”, if you will.

This is unfortunate for those who have multiple majors and/or minors. Thus, requiring many to load up on 18 credits a semester for multiple semesters. That is if we plan on graduating in a reasonable time…

Millersville attempts to spin the news as a decrease, but this is only for the student taking 12 credit hours per semester. This is a 16% increase for someone taking 15 credit hours! A 44% increase for a student taking 18 credit hours! To base this story on a student taking 12 credit hours per semester is misleading; a student must take 15 credit hours per semester just to graduate in 4 years!

Email the governor (governor@pa.gov) and the local state senators and representatives (ssaylor@pahousegop.com; kgreiner@pahousegop.com; lsmucker@pasen.gov; mbrubaker@pasen.gov.

Millersville should not be permitted to go to a semester hour charge with only a few weeks notice to parents; they should adopt the $99 per semester increase that all other state schools are offering students!

Editor’s note:
Our goal at Millersville University is to provide a unique, high quality education that ensures the success of our students.

We have made progressively deeper cuts to our budget over the years, however, because of rising costs, flat funding from the state and nominal tuition increases, we were left with a projected $4 million shortfall headed into the 2014-15 fiscal year. Rather than eliminating additional resources for our students, and compromising the first-rate educational experience that our students and the community have come to expect from Millersville University, we have decided to implement the flexible pricing plan. This will help ensure the long-term sustainably of this institution and reduce our dependency on uncertain state funding. The new model brings Millersville in line with higher education institutions across the nation, which have been charging on a per-credit-hour basis.

For additional information, FAQs and to see annual tuition cost estimates under the new per-credit tuition model, please visit the bursar’s office tuition and fees page at: http://www.millersville.edu/bursar/costs.php.

Though I am not happy with this new “flexible” pricing plan, I understand the increase in pricing. However, I find it very disconcerting that the students did not receive ANY notification, via email or website, about these new changes until now. Very unprofessional.

This is a 16% increase for someone taking 15 credit hours! To base this story on a student taking 12 credit hours per semester is misleading; a student must take 15 credit hours per semester just to graduate in 4 years!

So last year’s annual bill for tuition, general fee and technology fee was $8,866 for 32 credits. This year’s annual bill will be $10,540.50 for 31 credits. That’s nearly a 19% increase!!! And to take 12 credits a semester is impossible, as some of the classes required for my degree are 4 credit classes.

Editor’s note:

Our goal at Millersville University is to provide a unique, high quality education that ensures the success of our students.

We have made progressively deeper cuts to our budget over the years, however, because of rising costs, flat funding from the state and nominal tuition increases, we were left with a projected $4 million shortfall headed into the 2014-15 fiscal year. Rather than eliminating additional resources for our students, and compromising the first-rate educational experience that our students and the community have come to expect from Millersville University, we have decided to implement the flexible pricing plan. This will help ensure the long-term sustainably of this institution and reduce our dependency on uncertain state funding. The new model brings Millersville in line with higher education institutions across the nation, which have been charging on a per-credit-hour basis.

For additional information, FAQs and to see annual tuition cost estimates under the new per-credit tuition model, please visit the bursar’s office tuition and fees page at: http://www.millersville.edu/bursar/costs.php.

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