Indiana University of Pennsylvania announced this week it will reduce tuition for freshman and sophomore students at regional campuses and for out-of-state students.
The new rate structure, approved Thursday by the Pennsylvania State System Board of Governors, will go into effect for the fall 2018 semester.
Freshman and sophomore undergraduates from Pennsylvania who attend IUP's Northpointe or Punxsutawney campuses will be charged 80 percent of the tuition rate paid by students enrolled at the university's main Indiana campus. Domestic out-of-state students will pay tuition on a per-credit system at a lower percentage rate than they currently are charged.
First- and second-year students at the outlying campuses will pay $247 per credit, down from the $309 for the 2017-18 academic year.
The fee cut is meant to "help these regional students and to thank and to recognize the support of our local communities," IUP President Michael Driscoll said in a news release. "The quality of instruction and experiences at the regional campuses will remain strong, and regional campus students will still be able to take advantage of all the opportunities and events offered at the Indiana campus."
The new tuition plan also calls for domestic students who live outside of Pennsylvania to pay on a per-credit rate, with a reduced out-of-state tuition differential of 145 percent for students from any state. IUP has been charging such students either 170 percent or 250 percent of the in-state tuition rate on a flat fee basis — with the rate differential dependent on a student's high school grade point average and state residency.
The new tuition rate reflects a per-credit pricing structure IUP launched in fall 2016 for students who domicile in Pennsylvania.
A domestic, out-of-state student enrolled in courses totaling 12 credits will pay $5,377 per semester under the new system, compared to $9,365 per semester that had been charged at the 250 percent rate for 2017-18.
"IUP's per-credit tuition model increases fairness — students pay for the credits that they take," Driscoll said. "Student behaviors have changed, and the per-credit model is more equitable."
Annually, IUP enrolls about 500 out-of-state undergraduate students.
