Western Michigan University is taking steps to limit a growing tuition gap between resident and non-resident undergraduate students. Beginning this summer, students from outside Michigan will pay 1.25 percent more than the in-state rate. WMU trustees approved the change at their regular meeting on Tuesday, January 24.
University officials say the change only applies to undergrads who enroll after the spring 2017 semester. They say the move will reduce tuition payments for new out-of-state students by nearly half, from $26,851 a year now to only $14,366. WMU Vice-President for Business and Finance Jan Van der Kley says that will help Western attract more students who live outside Michigan.
"We have been selectively looking at specific states and specific geographic areas within those states. And, again, our focus is on non-resident enrollment with this, and this would make us extremely competitive with other areas that we looked at."
Van der Kley says Western needs to recruit more students beyond Michigan because the state's pool of new high school graduates is expected to fall by more than 18 percent over the next decade. Van der Kley says 10 percent of current WMU students are not Michigan residents. But she says that's expected to triple in the next few years to 30 percent.
"And that's important for the community as well as (the) campus because when you think about that, coming here from out-of-state, that means we're going to have a vibrancy on our campus and in our community because those people will stay here and be actively engaged. We believe (in the) long-term that this is critical and essential for the ongoing success of Western Michigan University."
Although WMU is cutting new undergraduates a break on tuition, there is a caveat. University trustees also approved a new policy on residency. Beginning in the summer of 2017, incoming undergraduates from outside Michigan won't have the option of changing their residency status later on to get the lower tuition rate for in-state students. But, like the change in tuition, that new policy won't affect currently enrolled students from other states and countries.
