YSU's new bulk rate tuition saves students thousands of dollars
Youngstown State University estimates that the change in the bulk rate has saved students a cumulative $4 million, or about $800,000 per semester, from spring 2016 through spring 2018.
Under the previous tuition plan, undergraduate students could register for 12 to 16 credit hours per semester and pay the one “bulk” tuition rate. The tuition rate was $4,044 per semester when YSU expanded the “bulk” rate to 12 to 18 credits in the Spring semester 2016. That means undergraduate students can take two additional credit hours and still pay the same per semester rate, essentially getting the two additional credit hours at no charge.
“Increasing the bulk rate is part of an ongoing effort to reduce costs for students," said Neal McNally, vice president for Finance and Business Operations. “YSU is already one of the most affordable universities in the region, and this new rate plan will lower those costs even more.”
McNally noted that the change in the bulk rate is also consistent with the recently published recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Efficiency and Affordability in Higher Education.
During Fall semester 2015, 990 undergraduate students took in excess of 16 credit hours included in the “bulk” rate. Those students paid $337 for every credit hour in excess of 16. Under the new plan, those students do not have to pay the additional charge for credits 17 and 18, a savings of $674 per student.
The new “bulk” rate is just one of a handful of initiatives by YSU to lower the cost for students to earn a degree. The university also recently reduced the number of credit hours required to earn a bachelor’s degree, started a new program called Penguin Jump Start for freshmen to get a head start on earning credits, and expanded the College Credit Plus program, which allows students to earn college credit while in high school. In addition, YSU’s tuition is already the lowest among the Ohio’s 11 largest public universities and $1,620 below the statewide average.