Tuition policy gets green light

The University's Board of Trustees moved forward Thursday on a plan to allow out-of state students attending UNC-Chapel Hill on full scholarships to pay in-state tuition rates.

In a unanimous vote, the trustees deferred authority in implementing the campus's tuition plan to Chancellor James Moeser.

The resolution further mandates that Moeser will report to the board annually about the students who would benefit from the program.

Opponents of the tuition policy say the provision could allow schools to circumvent the 18 percent cap on out-of-state student enrollment.

But Moeser emphasized that the University will not enroll fewer students from North Carolina.

"No North Carolinian will be turned away who otherwise would have been admitted to this University," Moeser said during the meeting.

The nonresidents on full scholarship will be admitted in addition to the University's generally admitted class.

Because the students will be an unforeseen addition to UNC-CH's enrollment plan, care must be taken not to overburden the University, Moeser said.

"This is absolutely critical that we not outgrow our capacity," Moeser said. "This will be careful growth."

The trustees' resolution was a reaction to a provision in the N.C. budget that allows UNC-system schools' boards of trustees to reclassify full-scholarship nonresidents as residents.

UNC-CH tuition costs $3,205 for undergraduate residents and $17,003 for undergraduate nonresidents.

The resolution is only the first step in establishing the program, Moeser said, noting that finer points will come later.

Now that the groundwork is in place, enrollment officials will begin to hammer out those details.

Administrators now are charged with finding a funding source for the support the students will require.

Based on this year's freshmen class, officials anticipate about 100 students will qualify for the program next year, said Jerry Lucido, vice provost for admissions and enrollment management.

The policy will aid programs such as Robertson and Morehead scholars, which have been threatened after several years of tuition increases.

As tuition rates increase, many scholarship foundations found they could provide for fewer and fewer students.

In-state tuition for all students with a free ride will counteract the recent trend.

Lucido said the provision will enable the University to devote attention and resources to two important areas: student aid and nonresident students.

"One, it expands our scholarship resources, and two, it allows us to bring in more out-of-state students."

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.