Beginning next fall, students enrolling at Western New Mexico University will benefit from a newly passed, tuition guarantee program, allowing families the ability to budget for their son’s or daughter’s college education.
Students enrolled in 15 credit hours per semester, while maintaining a 2.0 grade point average qualify for the locked-in tuition rate. The initiative was passed unanimously by the WNMU Board of Regents at its meeting on Friday, December 12. WNMU is the first university in New Mexico to initiate the program.
“The program is designed so that families can predict tuition costs throughout their students’ college career,” said WNMU President Joseph Shepard. “We want to encourage students to move towards graduation and the tuition guarantee is rewarding students for positive progress.”
In addition to locking-in tuition rates for students, the Board also approved an increase in tuition of $7.32 per credit hour for in-state, undergraduate students. Unlike traditional tuition increases, used to support operational costs of the institution, the revenue from this increase will fund scholarships and student-employment opportunities.
The tuition change is expected to generate $350,000 in revenue for the next academic year, affording the ability to increase on-campus student job positions, academic scholarships and athletic scholarships.
“This money is entirely going back into the pockets of the students for their educational pursuits,” added President Shepard. “None of it will go to overhead or administrative costs.”
Even with new per credit hour rate, WNMU continues to be one of the most affordable universities in the country and the tuition guarantee is a welcomed program for WNMU’s recruitment team.
“This program allows us to be more transparent with incoming students and their families,” said Matthew Lara, Director of Admissions. “Our parents can now have a realistic expectation on what will be the cost of an entire college career.”
“By guaranteeing the cost of tuition and putting more money back into our students’ hands, WNMU becomes an even greater investment for individuals interested in a quality and affordable education,” added Lara.