Online programs charging non-resident & resident fees

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Shakurra, Aug 12, 2012.

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  1. Shakurra

    Shakurra New Member

    Not sure if you all have broached upon this in past topics, but I find it a bit disconcerting that online programs would charge "non-resident" fees. Anyone of like mind on this?
     
  2. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    And what's wrong with non-resident fees?
     
  3. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    I can understand what the OP is saying. Opening up an online branch of your school, presumably to entice people from all over the country/world to enroll, and then saying "Oh, you don't live in our state, okay then the tuition is double" sounds very odd.

    I have no qualms with the school charging whatever they deem appropriate but using the word "residency" just sounds out of place when talking about an online program.
     
  4. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Some online schools (like TESC or COSC) are public. This means that their operations are funded, to some extent, by the state government. And of course, the state government is ultimately funded by the taxpayers of that state.

    Public schools -- both DL and B&M -- typically charge lower tuition to in-state residents than to out-of-state residents. In-state residents get a financial break, because they also support the school through their state taxes. Out-of-state residents don't support the school through their taxes, and so don't get the same break.

    If you don't like this system, you can choose a private school (like Excelsior) that does not get funding from the state government. Private schools -- both DL and B&M -- typically charge the same tuition without regard to state of residency.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 12, 2012
  5. Some states charge twice the instate rate while some charge three times as much. That's even between states where the taxes don't vary as much. I think the schools that charge an "distance learner tuition" are doing things in a better manner.
     
  6. Shakurra

    Shakurra New Member

    Bravo! You got exactly the nature of my thread. Thank you.
     
  7. gbrogan

    gbrogan Member

    Well, in fairness, Caldog provided some very good information. At least it made me understand why the fees are different for in- versus out-of-state residents.

    I will say that schools that open up an online branch should rename the fee to Online Learning Fees or something like peacefulchaos suggested.

    It's not that I don't like the system, CalDog. It just struck me as odd that an online program would even mention in state vs out of state fees. I'm find with them charging more but think a different term would be better.
     
  8. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Remember, this is not just for online schools. Look up the tuition rates at your local B&M state university or community college -- they probably have two rates, for "residents" and "non-residents". For example, you can see the two rates at UCLA or Indiana University.

    This is a quite normal thing for public schools to do, and "resident" and "non-resident" are the normal terms that they have used for many years. So they simply use the same terminology when it comes to online programs.

    Some public schools, like Peru State College in Nebraska, don't have different rates: they charge the same tuition to residents and non-residents. But this is less common.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 16, 2012
  9. logank622

    logank622 New Member

    In-state vs. out-of-state

    This is a topic that has always irritated me a little. I completely understand CalDog's explanation, and that makes sense. However, I am a resident of Ohio, where higher education is outrageously overpriced. (I never even noticed until I started looking at per-credit and per-course costs.)

    When I was looking at master's programs, the least expensive option in Ohio was approx. $1000 per course x 12ish courses. That was for public in-state tuition. I ended up going to Peru State College in Nebraska - also public but they don't charge out-of-state rates, so I paid less than $500 per course with no additional fees. (That was about 7 years ago.) People around here ask me "why didn't you just go to ___ here in Ohio?" because they have never heard of Peru. They have no idea how much more it costs to attend college in Ohio. I'll gladly pay less than half for the same degree from an "unknown" college instead of feeling gouged by paying in-state rates here.

    I've always been curious why public colleges in some states (Nebraska and New Mexico come to mind) are able to forego out-of-state rates entirely.
     
  10. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    They don't. The flagship University of Nebraska campus, in Lincoln, charges non-resident tuition. And the flagship University of New Mexico campus, in Albuquerque, does too.

    But realistically, the flagship state university campuses are a lot more marketable than the smaller, little-known, out-of-the-way campuses -- like maybe, for example, Peru State College or Western New Mexico State University. Some of these schools have had trouble maintaining enrollments -- in particular, Peru State was facing a serious threat of closure about 10 years ago. So these schools decided to be aggressive about offering online programs, as a way to boost enrollment. Eliminating the non-resident tuition surcharge is a part of that strategy, and it's probably a smart strategy.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 16, 2012
  11. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Er, that's Western New Mexico University (no State in the name).
     
  12. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Um, well, as I was saying, it's not a school that most people outside of southwestern New Mexico are very familiar with.
     

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