Differential tuition showing early positive results
, October 28th, 2008
While it’s too soon to tell to the total impact of the differential tuition measures Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School passed in the spring of 2008, preliminary metrics indicate that the change has been beneficial in its first semester of implementation.
“It is important that we demonstrate to our students that we will be good stewards with their tuition dollars, and these results make our case,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. Differential tuition is a model under which students majoring in a particular college are charged additional tuition above and beyond the tuition charged by the state and the university. Mays’ upper division students now pay an additional $610 per semester.
Thanks to the additional funding, 32 sections of upper division courses and 12 sections of common body of knowledge (CBK) courses were added to the academic offerings for the fall 2008 term. Despite an increase in enrollment from the previous semester, the average class size for upper division business courses decreased from 39 to 33. Similarly, the average class size for CBK courses decreased by 46 percent, from 136 students to 73. For upper division business classes, the percentage of smaller class sizes increased while the percentage of larger class sizes decreased. Additionally, 16 new faculty members were hired.
Categories: Students