By Michael Kennedy
The Task Force for Tuition and Fees is considering a recommendation which would fundamentally alter the way thousands of students pay for tuition at the University of Louisville.
The plan, which has been discussed for years, is gaining traction in light of the recent university-wide budget cuts.
Although in its original form, the plan was revenue-neutral, “now it’s being looked at as a way to generate new dollars,” according to Student Government President Brian Hoffman.
However, in an e-mail, Assistant Vice President of Finance Jason Tomlinson notes that the “Task Force has not made any recommendation or come to any consensus.”
Currently, part-time students pay their tuition on a per credit hour basis. Meanwhile, full time students, those taking 12 hours or more, pay a flat tuition fee. Some trustees have felt that this unfairly shifts the burden of tuition to part time students, since each hour over 12 is essentially free to a full time student.
According to Hoffman, one proposed scenario would be to raise the threshold of minimum hours for a student to be considered “full-time” to 15 credit hours. This would mean that many more students would have to pay tuition by the hour, which could cost them more.
“Moving to a per credit hour rate makes the university much more of a business,” Hoffman says. “We focus much more on the business of the university rather than the spirit of the university.”
The university has had to make a 3% cut in its budget for the current fiscal year, amidst budget cuts across the state. The administration feels that future cuts are inevitable, and cuts up to an additional 12% are expected.
“It’s very dangerous to mix an uncertain method of generating revenue through tuition with an already uncertain state appropriation. Not only this year, but in the coming years. There’s a lot of question marks about how much we’re going to get from the state.”
The Task Force does not have authority to implement its decisions, it is only one of several advisory groups that provide information to the President, Provost and Leadership Team during the tuition setting process.
The Task Force will be meeting today to discuss how to move ahead with tuition increases in light of the budget cuts.
Hoffman worries that moving to this new system will negatively affect graduation rates, retention rates and enrollment, which in turn would necessitate greater tuition increases.
