Neighborly behavior has returned between Ball State University and six Ohio counties.
Ball State has arranged for some Ohio residents to pay in-state tuition using the Good Neighbor Award. This award has been implemented while the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the Ohio Board of Regents work to establish a revised reciprocity agreement.
Offering out-of-state students in-state tuition benefits all involved because it increases the number of students who would consider attending Ball State while it also saves the students a tremendous amount of money.
Students who paid $6,030 for a year of schooling in Fall 2005 pay $7,000 for a year of schooling in 2008, a difference of $1,030.
Out-of-state tuition for the past four years has been continually more than twice the in-state tuition rate. Out-of-state tuition has risen to $18,804 from $15,790 in 2005, a difference of $3,014.
Ball State students from these six counties are benefiting greatly from reciprocity and the Good Neighbor Award. However, all students are struggling to make ends meet as college costs continue to increase.
In the 1999-2000 academic year, an in-state student paid a total of $3,576 for two semesters.
In the span of 10 years, current students pay per semester what alumni paid for a year.
College costs continue to increase as the global economy continues to decline. The most important thing the university could do for its students is to keep tuition rates as low as possible.
It would be unreasonable to ask a university facing the same economic strains as the rest of the country to not raise tuition rates as it needs to maintain university operations.
Bringing back reciprocity with Ohio counties, though, cuts residents a much-needed break and is a measure Ball State can afford to make.
As administrators consider tuition and fee increases for all students for the upcoming year, continuing to keep students' financial need in mind would help us all out.
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