University’s proposal to offer flat tuition rate approved

CLEVELAND — The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning approved Delta State University’s proposal to offer a single flat tuition rate for all students, resident and non-resident.

All new non-resident undergraduate and graduates enrolling at Delta State next fall will be eligible for the new tuition rate. Currently enrolled non-resident students will also be eligible.

Non-resident students have historically represented less than 10 percent of the student population and are generally student athletes, children of alumni and students from bordering states, DSU said in a statement. Most of these students are eligible for existing non-resident tuition waiver programs.

DSU says its recruiting environment has changed dramatically over the last decade. The population in the Mississippi Delta has declined by approximately 25 percent since 1970, reducing the number of eligible high school graduates in the region.

The university is adapting its recruiting strategies to the changing environment by developing an enhanced web-based admission process, increasing its use of social media, adding more on-line courses, designing evening and weekend schedules to serve commuting students and offering summer credit programs. Another important part of the strategy is to recruit more non-resident students.

“The university has made advances in recruiting and attracting students from outside of the Delta region, but a flat tuition rate will allow us to be more competitive,” said dean of enrollment management Dr. Debbie Heslep. “We are very excited about the opportunities this presents.”