Eastern Kentucky University’s Board of Regents have signed off on a plan to lower the threshold for extra student tuition fees from 18 credit hours of classes each semester to 15.
The policy will take effect next fall. The university will charge around $350 for each extra credit hour.
Some students at the meeting protested the decision, saying it punishes high achievers, or students whose majors require extra courseload.
Dallas McCoy is an EKU student who protested the decision.
“It's the people that want to achieve more that are being hurt by this change. That's the problem. There's also the honors program. They have an extra one or two credit hour classes that they have to take each semester just to be able to graduate with honors, McCoy said.
The school is making the change because of a high volume of course drops. It’s meant to improve course scheduling and make the school more financially sustainable.
EKU president David McFaddin says the school plans to work with students to make the change work.
“I'm asking them to try to trust and work with us as someone who's won them, that we're going to try to help every individual student make sure that they've got the resources needed to continue,” McFaddin said.
EKU is also increasing tuition by 3.6%. The school says it’s meant to keep tuition rates in step with the state’s most expensive institutions, and that it comes from a rate set by the Council for Postsecondary Education.
The school is also creating a “transition scholarship” for next fall that would keep continuing students from paying those extra costs. EKU president David McFaddin says the school hopes to continue that program through next spring.
