Affordability top goal as fees, room and board rates held flat.
Newman University President Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D. is serious about the affordability of higher education for people in Kansas, and for that matter all Americans. She and the Newman University Board of Trustees are hopeful their recent work in cost containment can stand as an example.
The Newman Board of Trustees discussed and approved the 2012-13 tuition and fees schedule during their regular meeting held Friday, Feb. 24. The plan includes a 2.5 percent tuition increase but holds institutional fees, and room and board rates flat for the coming year. In fact, the double occupancy room rates for Newman’s freshmen student residence were actually lowered $200. Exceptions to the tuition increase were the Colorado Springs, Colo., Master of Social Work program, and the English as a Second Language and Pastoral Ministry programs, which will remain at the 2011-12 tuition levels.
In his State of the Union address Jan. 24, 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama outlined his “Blueprint for Keeping College Affordable” to the nation. As part of that delivery he stated, “Of course, it’s not enough for us to increase student aid… States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down.”
Carrocci says her university has been doing just that.
“Affordability has been front and center for Newman University for several years,” Carrocci said. “At the same time we’ve worked diligently to ensure the excellence of our instruction has not been compromised. We’ve been successful. For example, our graduates are getting positions in teaching, business and health care, and are matriculating into various graduate and professional programs. Our medical school acceptance rates and licensure pass rates across the board remain very high, anywhere from 90 to 100 percent.”
Newman University’s 2011-12 undergraduate tuition and fees which totaled $21,716 were nearly 25 percent below the national average ($28,500) for private, non-profit four-year schools. During the past five years, Newman’s tuition increases have been 5 percent or less each year. At the same time, Newman has increased institutional aid by 68 percent which in 2009-10 translated into 98 percent of undergraduates receiving an average award package of $11,573. The university has also seen an increase in the number of low-income students. The percentage of Pell-eligible (i.e. high need) students at Newman has risen from 34 percent in 2008-09 to 45 percent in 2011-12. On the other hand, Newman has not seen an increase in students seeking student loans.
Newman continues efforts, also, to keep tuition and fee rate increases low so as to remain accessible for adult degree-seeking students and graduate students. All rates are available on the university’s website at http://www.newmanu.edu/tuitionfees.
“The bottom line for us is to provide our quality programs at an affordable price,” Carrocci said.
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