To provide relief to students coping with financial hardship during the pandemic, the University of San Diego (USD) has frozen its tuition fee at $53,082 for the 2021-22 academic year.
Although administrators are worried about the current financial climate, USD assistant vice president of enrollment management Stephen Pultz believes “this is not the time to pass that along to students and families.”
To supplement the tuition freeze, the university will provide undergraduates with $104 million in financial aid, $12 million more than last year.
More Schools Slash Tuition
USD, a private liberal arts university, is following the footsteps of other private institutions such as Princeton and Georgetown in freezing tuition.
Public universities, however, have also taken steps to offer students relief. The University of Montevallo has frozen tuition for the third straight year. The school has also waived SAT and ACT test score requirements keeping in mind the cancellation and limited availability of standardized testing dates during the pandemic.
Have you heard? To help maintain its status as one of the best quality-for-cost higher education institutions in the state, the University of Montevallo has frozen tuition for the third straight year. 🎓 Learn more at https://t.co/o6jdPsCypl#YouBelongAtMontevallo. pic.twitter.com/TssFODM4f3
— University of Montevallo (@Montevallo) November 23, 2020
As the financial strain on college students worsens, some schools are also considering tuition cuts and tuition-free programs.
Taking a cue from President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to offer free tuition at public colleges, the University of Minnesota (UM) is creating a tuition-free program for state students whose families make $50,000 or less annually.
If the incoming Biden administration makes public colleges and universities tuition-free for families earning less than $125,000, UM President Joan Gabel believes the university program will also take care of expenses such as room and board for low-income students.
Keeping in mind the unstable economy and the uncertainty facing college education, institutions such as Southern New Hampshire University, Rider University, and Fairleigh Dickinson have also slashed tuition to increase campus enrollment.
