Perry has established a budgetary/fiscal benchmark (challenge) for colleges and universities stating that there is no reason a bachelor’s degree should cost more than $10,000 (books included). He states that with the use of online courses and other technologically enhanced teaching techniques, cutting the cost of college for students should be easily achieved. Perry also suggests that students can help by taking post-secondary courses during their high school years so that they have some college credits under their belt by the time they hit campus.

As most of you know, I love infographics. They are extremely informative and pleasant on the eyes all at the same time. Even though I am doubting a little on the viability of Perry’s proposal, the following infographic provides some statistical data about college costs that will allow you to make your own conclusion on whether you think Governor Perry’s $10,000 bachelor’s degree is achievable. (Click on the picture to see a larger view)

Via: Online College Resource

Tuition increases have far outpaced inflation over the years but I have been a little hopeful lately as I see more and more colleges implementing modest to no increase in their tuition rate. That was of course until I got news about some recent bumps in tuition that students will be feeling next academic year in their wallets.

The first is Temple University, found in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They recently announced that they will be increasing tuition by 10 percent for in-state students and 5.4 percent for out-of-state students for the coming academic year. The percentage increase impact in dollars comes to about $1,200. The total in-state tuition at Temple will be $13,006 and the out-of-state tuition will be $22,832.

The second is the University of Tennessee college system. The trustees recently voted in approval of a 12 percent tuition increase at their main campus. This will bring the Knoxville campus’s annual tuition rate to $8,396. Ten percent increases were also approved for the satellite campuses located in Martin and Chattanooga.

To the credit of each of these Universities, the double digit increases were not adopted without hesitation and it does appear that a decrease in state funding is to blame in each situation (or at least that is what University officials are claiming)… Of course, I have already offered my solution to all the state budget woes and the impact it has on education funding for colleges.

If you are a student that is attending one of the colleges above, or you just find yourself having a difficult time absorbing the tuition increases at your school, I encourage you to check out this article for help in dealing with rising college costs. Also, it never hurts to browse over our College Resource Center for additional assistance and ideas.

Last week, the University of Massachusetts – Lowell (UML) just offered a free tuition option for students looking to transfer in from local community colleges this coming Fall Semester. This new program (referred to as Advantage Plus) will provide up to four semesters of free tuition (which should be enough for most students to complete their bachelor’s degree requirement).

The following are the qualifying requirements for the free tuition offer:

• Must be a graduate from one of 15 Massachusetts Community Colleges
• Students must have and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher

The current in-state annual tuition rate at UML is $1,454. So a student could potentially save about $3,000 over the span of two years while they complete their bachelors degree. Seems like a pretty descent offer right? Well… as Paul Harvey says “and now for the rest of the story”…

Even though UML is offering free tuition, this population of students will still be responsible for annual fees totaling over $9,000 and if they plan on living and eating on campus, that will be an additional $9,000. So, they get $1,454 in free tuition each year but could experience about $18,000 in extra expenses…ugh. Doesn’t sound like such a great deal anymore.

The basis of this story is that it is important for you to inquire about ALL the fees being charged by the colleges that you are looking at attending (Tuition, Room, Board, and Fees). In the case of UML, they have amazingly cheap tuition but they will quickly depress your college savings with their fees. Other schools may have reasonably high tuition rates but little to no fees. So be smart and try to compare apples to apples when looking at college costs and not apples to oranges.

A new initiative is coming out of the heart of San Francisco (actually out of the basement of a local store) and it is being referred to as the Free University of San Francisco. Alan Kaufman is the brain-child of this new educational experience. He came up with the idea in December of 2010 and by February 5th the Free University opened its doors and started providing free lectures for all those in attendance.

For a number of years, colleges have shared their databases providing lectures, class notes, tests and assignments to self taught learners via the internet. What the Free University of San Francisco brings to the table that makes them a little different is the human element. Their classes are not taught via YouTube, they don’t have online chat rooms for discussion, and they don’t require a WIFI connection to participate. All you have to do is stop by the basement classroom of Viracocha and apparently you had better come early because space is limited and seats go fast to hear the lecture series provided by volunteer instructors.

Free University of San Francisco does have a commonality with most free colleges in that they are not accredited. So you won’t be getting a transcript for your completed coursework or an officially recognized diploma for the wall in your study. Fortunately though, you also won’t be accumulating a mountain load of education debt (unless you count the knickknacks you purchase from the store on your way down the stairs to class).

If you would like to learn more about the Free University of San Francisco, feel free to stop by their website. The next round of courses start in March and they are all held at 998 Valencia Street. The storefront might say Viracocha, but likened to a speakeasy, the basement serves a purpose far greater…

In response to the letter, I think that a 3% increase in tuition is pretty good given the double digit increases that we see popping up across the nation. I also like how they directly associated their increase to that of inflation for the past couple of years (1.5% each year).  Not many schools are quick to compare their tuition increases to the rate of inflation (probably because they exceed it every year). So, I give credit to Coogan and MCAD for their comparative analogy.

Request For Information
If you (or your student) go to a college or University that experienced a tuition increase (or decrease) that was historically significant, please don’t hesitate to pass the announcement letter or video onto me to share with our readers at CheapScholar.org. It could be great exposure for your college and it also helps to keep our readers in the loop of what is happening with tuition expenses in higher education.

MCAD Tuition Increase Letter

To all students:

I am writing to let you know that the Board of Trustees of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design has set tuition for 2011-12 academic year at $30,385; this is a 3% increase over the current year’s tuition of $29,500.

Over the past several years MCAD’s tuition increases have been among the lowest of art and design schools and private colleges in the country. Last year the Board took the unprecedented step of holding the tuition level from the previous year. When averaged out over two academic years, the 3% increase amounts to an annual increase of 1.5%; this is comparable with the nation’s overall rate of inflation.

In setting the amount for next year’s tuition we have kept two key objectives in mind:

1.     Keeping the increase as modest as possible so as to minimize the impact on MCAD students and families.

2.     Continuing to invest in the resources that help us maintain a high quality education. We believe this investment ensures the best possible programs and facilities to support our educational programs.

Members of the MCAD Board and I all understand the cost of attending a private art college creates a financial challenge for you and your families. Many of us faced similar challenges in attending college and all of us respect the sacrifices required. In order to help, MCAD is adding an additional $167,000 of institutional financial aid for the coming academic year.

Like all colleges, MCAD depends on fundraising to meet the financial needs of it students. The college has initiated the Students First Scholarship Challenge to provide currently enrolled students with additional financial aid. We are close to meeting this year’s goal of raising $100,000 from alumni, parents, and other donors in new and increased gifts—which will be matched by the Board for a total of $200,000 in increased scholarship funds. We hope to raise a similar amount of new funds this coming year.

MCAD is a place where creativity meets purpose. We are committed to spending your tuition dollars wisely in order to provide you with the best possible art and design education and help you achieve your goals as you transform your creative passions into meaningful careers and work in the world.

Sincerely,

Jay Coogan

President

Princeton University is the first school that I have seen come forward and announce what the impact on tuition will be for their incoming and returning students next year. And I must say that I am pleasantly surprised.

Princeton is going to increase tuition and room charges by 1% and meal plans will receive a 2% bump. So, an undergraduate that plans to live on campus next year can expect to pay a total of $49,069. ($37,000 for tuition, $6596 for the dorm room,  and $5473 for the meal plan) This is just the sticker price because we all know that Princeton is one of the top financial aid schools in the country.

Provost Christopher Eisgruber shared the following statement: “In a year when Princeton had done relatively well and many families continued to struggle, we felt it appropriate to hold down the increase to the fee package to levels consistent with the very low inflation rates experienced by the university.”

So the question that comes to mind for new and returning students across the nation, is Princeton’s approach on a minimal tuition increase going to be the litmus test for how other schools move forward with their individual rate adjustments in the coming year? In a world of double digit tuition increases, I guess time will tell but I personally remain optimistic!

Darwin Bryan Scholarship Program
This fund was put into place back in 1985 to honor the 37 years of service, leadership, and inspiration that Mr. Bryan provided to the Ohio Farm Bureau. The scholarship fund was established to assist students who have been active in the Farm Bureau youth program and/or whose parents are Farm Bureau members.

Women’s Leadership in Agriculture Scholarship Program
This scholarship program was established in 2006 by a gracious donation from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund. The role of the fund is to ennoble, uplift and strengthen the lives of young women in agriculture.

Foundation Scholar Program
The Ohio Farm Bureau Board of Directors established this fund in 2008 at the urging of some of its donor members. The Foundation Scholar award recognizes students for academic effort, community service and career interests that use agriculture to enhance the partnership between producers and consumers in rural, suburban and/or urban settings

If you are interested in any of these scholarship opportunities, you can download an application online at http://ofbf.org, stop by your local county Farm Bureau office, or send a written request to: Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, P.O. Box 182383, Columbus, OH 43218-2383

Application deadlines for all scholarship programs are March 1st.

UDC is implementing a 2 year Bachelors degree program in affiliation with a couple of local area high schools. It is hard to imagine that anyone can complete a Bachelors degree in two years but UDC has come up with a plan to maximize post-secondary participation in these high schools so that essentially students would be graduating from high school with enough college credits to start out as juniors at UDC. The 2 + 4 program is still in the planning stages and requires a little tweaking before the final roll out is scheduled but it is on target to be presented to freshman entering high school next year.

So, if you are living in the D.C. area and have a student that is thinking about a streamlined approach to getting a Bachelors degree, you probably ought to keep the University of District of Columbia in your sights. The potential savings that you could experience on college tuition could be astounding.