Lower student debt and increased retention: those are the results the University of Dayton says it’s seeing two years after putting in place an unusual tuition strategy.
The Midwestern Roman Catholic university scrapped its student fees in 2013 and is one of few universities to guarantee entering freshmen who receive aid the same net price for four years, or 144 credits, of instruction. Under Dayton's strategy, while costs increase each year, aid also increases proportionately so students pay the same amount for tuition each year.
Students who pay full freight don't receive a net price guarantee. On average more than 90 percent of Dayton's students receive institutional aid.
The decision at the time was a risk -- how would the bottom line be affected? -- but two years later, borrowing is down and student satisfaction is up, and college leaders say they made the right choice.
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/08/10/aid-follows-tuition-university-dayton