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Regents to Study Tuition Change: The Board Considers Charging Full-Time Students By the Credit Hour Instead of a Flat Charge Per Semester.

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 June 2006, 12:00 CDT

By Angie Herrington, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Jun. 14--NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Board of Regents is considering changing the way full-time students are charged tuition.

Dr. Bob Adams, the board's vice chancellor for business and finance, said the system in the next year will study the possibility of charging students who take more than 12 credit hours tuition by the credit hour instead of a flat charge.

Now, students who take 18 credit hours a semester pay the same tuition as students who take 12 hours.

Dr. Adams said students sometimes sign up for more classes than they intend to take, only to later drop one or two classes.

That robs other students of spots in those classes, he said.

"It (charging tuition per hour) would maybe stop some of the course shopping," Dr. Adams said Tuesday during a meeting of the Tennessee Board of Regents committee leaders.

The change is being examined because the new administration software system the Board of Regents is switching to does it that way, he said.

It won't be known until the data are analyzed whether students would end up paying more in tuition under the changes, Dr. Adams said.

Dr. Charles Manning, Board of Regents chancellor, said the system's presidents are open to the idea. "(They) seem to be interested in it," he said.

Regents Vice Chairwoman Fran Marcum said she wants to look at what other states do because, "I think we may be antiquated."

Dr. Adams said the average number of hours a student takes differs by college. For instance, the University of Memphis has more part-time students, while Middle Tennessee State University has more enrolled full time, he said.

E-mail Angie Herrington at aherrington@timesfreepress.com TUITION COSTS Below are yearly tuition costs for Tennessee Board of Regents schools. All universities except the University of Memphis: Full time: $3,678 Part time: $161 per hour University of Memphis: Full time: $4,216 Part time: $178 per hour Community colleges: Full time: $2,142 Part time: $91 per hour Source: Tennessee Board of Regents

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Copyright (c) 2006, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Chattanooga Times/Free Press

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