IUP proposing tuition break for in-state undergrads

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Indiana University of Pennsylvania is proposing a tuition break for in-state undergraduate students beginning next fall.

The school plans to achieve this by moving back to a flat-rate billing model, instead of charging by credit hour.

According to our partners at TribLIVE.com, any student who is a resident of Pennsylvania and taking between 12 and 18 credit hours would pay $7,716 in annual tuition, regardless of credit load.

“In the last several years, IUP has, out of necessity, put a great deal of focus on its financial sustainability,” university President Michael Driscoll said in a statement. “… We know that financing a university education remains a challenge for many families, and two years of a global pandemic has exacerbated this situation for many families.”

IUP started charging students by the credit hour in the 2016-17 academic year, which added around $565 to the tuition bill for students taking 15 credit hours a semester.

The new tuition proposal would reduce costs by up to 32%. It would be an $1,854 reduction for in-state undergraduates taking 15 credits per semester, and a $3,769 reduction for students taking 18 hours.

The Trib also says that about 95% of undergraduate students enrolled at IUP were Pennsylvania residents.

IUP trustees approved the proposal on Friday. It could be approved by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors at their meeting on March 2.

IUP has frozen tuition, fees and meal costs for three years straight, and the Trib says that housing costs have remained steady since 2016.

Enrollment at IUP dropped to 9,308 last fall, which is the first time since 1969 that the university has had fewer than 10,000 students.

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