Summer session tuition to decrease

IU President Michael McRobbie announced Monday the University’s plan to reduce both Indiana resident and nonresident undergraduate tuition for summer-semester students.

Indiana residents who are enrolled at any of the eight IU campuses will receive a 25-percent discount in tuition for summer courses, according to a press release. Nonresident undergraduates will receive an equivalent dollar discount in
their tuition.

“The economy is very difficult,” said Mark Land, associate vice president of University Communications. “We’re looking for ways to make college affordable to as many students as possible. This obviously provides a really powerful opportunity for undergraduate students.”

The plan, set to begin in summer 2012, will provide financial relief to students, promote year-round college attendance and decrease the time it takes for students to earn their degrees, according to the release.

“This large tuition discount is being offered to IU students in order to provide important financial relief for students and their families and also a significant financial incentive for attending IU year-round,” McRobbie said in the release. “Greater attendance in the summer will allow IU to make more efficient use of its facilities. It also will provide an affordable option for students who want to complete their degrees at IU on a faster track than the traditional model.”

He announced the plan at a news conference on the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, claiming it will allow University facilities to be used more efficiently, according to the release.

The discounts will mean about $1,050 in savings on the Bloomington campus for students who take a full course load, according to the release.

“Every college and university should be looking for ways to help students get more education for their dollar,” Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said in the release. “IU’s idea to maximize use of its facilities year-round is a good one, and one that should be imitated at all of our schools. I hope to see campuses full of hardworking students next summer.”

Land said the discount will apply regardless of the amount of credits taken. 
 
The Bloomington faculty fostered a new, longer summer session last year as well, to allow for more flexible and creative use of the summer period, according to the release. This will be supported by the tuition discount plan.

Land said this initiative will begin this summer and will be more like a regular semester, rather than two shorter summer sessions.

“We’re just looking to give students more flexibility,” he said. “This really is more than a tuition cut. It’s a mechanism for making things happen, and we’re really trying to give students a lot of options here.”

IU’s Board of Trustees will meet at 12:30 p.m. Friday in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union to vote on the tuition reduction.