NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has just made it more affordable for out-of-state students to attend the university. TSU is now offering discounted tuition rates of nearly 40 percent for students in counties within 250 miles of Nashville.
The new rates apply to students in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.
TSU President Glenda Glover said one of the most rewarding phrases a college president likes to hear from a prospective student is “I’ve selected your university to continue my education,” and that the new discount will play a vital role in the recruitment and retention of students.
“TSU is very excited to launch this new initiative that will allow students to attend from bordering states who may have taken us off their list as the top choice because of out-of-state tuition costs,” said the TSU president. “This will also ease the financial burden of hundreds of students who are already enrolled at TSU.”
Dr. John Cade, interim vice president of TSU’s Enrollment Management and Student Support Services, said the offering is part of a new Tennessee Board of Regents policy, which allows TSU and other TBR institutions to offer discounted rates to students within a 250-mile radius of their campuses.
Cade said the plan will help boost the university’s effort to recruit out-of-state students, a breadbasket for TSU.
“Based on our national alumni base and legacy, out-of-state students have traditionally been attracted to Tennessee State University, but the cost of tuition has been a major barrier for many,” Cade said.
Called the 250-Mile Radius Rate, the new discount plan will be effective beginning the 2016-2017 academic year. It will benefit students like Atlanta native Jordan Gaither, a senior Exercise Sports major who dropped his athletics scholarship playing basketball to concentrate on his academics. Gaither does not have a Pell Grant and has to rely on his parents to help pay for his fees.
“It has been hard on them and me for the last two years,” Gaither said. “If I can get this discount, it will definitely help a lot.”
Under the new plan, eligible incoming out-of-state undergraduate students enrolled in 15 credit hours will receive a 43 percent reduction in tuition, or pay $5,903 per year. Graduate students taking nine credit hours will pay 35 percent less, or $6,176.
Tuition is slightly higher for undergraduates taking more than 15 credit hours, and for graduate students taking more than nine credits hours.
In 2015/2016, full out-of-state tuition for undergraduate students enrolled in 15 credit hours was $10,387, and for graduate students enrolled in nine credit hours the tuition was $9,439.
The discount applies only to tuition and not to costs, such as housing, meals, books and other fees. But Joshua Brome of Stone Mountain, Georgia, sees the offer as a major break for students in need of assistance.
“The foreseeable benefit of this plan of lower tuition will release me from my dependence on student loans,” said Brome, a sophomore Civil and Environmental Engineering major. “I don’t have a Parent Plus loan and this goes a long way in ensuring I might not have to apply for one to cover the out-of-state cost. This is a huge weight off my shoulders and will free up my mind to concentrate more on me and my academics.”
Visit http://www.tnstate.edu/bursar/radius.aspx for a list of eligible high schools and additional information regarding fees.
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With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.