Ohio University officials visited Student Senate Wednesday to answer questions and address concerns over the university’s guaranteed tuition plan.
The plan, which the university has dubbed the “OHIO Guarantee,” will offer students a flat tuition rate over a period of four years.
How the university will calculate this number is somewhat complicated. OU will analyze the historical average of inflation, currently about 3 percent; add that to each academic year’s projected costs; and divide the total by four years to create a flat rate for a period of four years, according to a previous Post article.
With this calculation, tuition for the incoming freshman in Fall Semester 2015, the first class to be under the new plan, would be raised by an estimated 5.9 percent, according to a previous Post article.
Based on this academic year’s numbers, that means an Ohio resident in the incoming Fall Semester 2015 would pay nearly $11,000 for tuition and fees for one year.
Mary Kate Gallagher, senate vice president, asked how the policy might affect students with disabilities who require more time to complete their courses, since the flat tuition rate is only guaranteed for four years, or 12 consecutive terms.
A tuition guarantee committee will be formed to deal with that type of situation, said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management.
Some students will also be eligible to have their cases reviewed by the committee including those who are called to active military duty or have internships and co-ops.
Rose Troyer, an off-campus life commissioner, questioned whether this policy would be a disadvantage to students who want to double major.
“It’s for four years, whatever you want to complete in that time,” Cornell said.
If a student doesn’t complete his or her education within that time, the student will pay the price of the incoming class that came the year after him or her. For example, if a student who began in 2015 doesn’t complete his or her education within the timeframe, the student will pay the price started in Fall 2016.
Golding said OU currently ranks third in Ohio for the amount of at-risk students that graduate, at 77 percent, but the university is still increasing its amount of financial aid to help more students afford initial increases in tuition.
“The model is not perfect. It’s an art, not a science,” said Stephen Golding, vice president for Finance and Administration. “All this, to my view, is a bridge to hopefully finding what an ultimate solution is (to keeping college affordable).”
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This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Senate discusses guaranteed tuition"
