The Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents set tuition and fees for the 2021-22 academic year at their meeting last week. The board approved an increase in tuition, maintained the existing general fees and eliminated four other fees.

The total tuition and general fees for undergraduate Missouri residents went from $267.50 to $290.50 per credit hour, an increase of approximately 8.5 percent. The Board of Regents also set tuition rates for online, graduate and regional campuses as well. The rates for the 2021-22 academic year are as follows:

At Southeast we are committed to providing the highest value, highest quality education experience for our students, said Dr. Carlos Vargas, president of Southeast Missouri State University. The tuition increase for Fall 2021 is coupled with the elimination fees that a large percentage of our students are currently paying and more students were projected to pay in the future. Rolling these fees into tuition will help reduce future costs, simplify the fee structure, and make it easier for our students to plan and pay for their education.

More specifically, part of the increase in tuition, $6.25, is due to the elimination of web, webinar, ITV and off campus fees. In the 2020-21 academic year 75% of students at Southeast paid at least one of the fees, with the average amount being $195. In the 2018-19 academic year 63% of students paid at least one of the fees, with the average amount being $155.

When we looked at the rising trend in the number of students paying these fees and the average cost, it was clear we needed to make a change, said Dr. Brad Sheriff, vice president for finance and administration. This change not only reduces the average cost for students, but also caps the cost at $187.50 as the maximum a full-time undergraduate student enrolled in 30 credit hours will have to pay. Additionally, incorporating these fees into tuition allows students to use tuition-only scholarships and reimbursement plans to cover these costs, giving them more financial flexibility.

Sheriff also noted the move simplifies an aspect of the Universitys tuition and fee structure that many students find confusing, and it also removes barriers to students choosing the modalities of instruction that best suit their needs. The $6.25 increase will apply equally to resident undergraduate, nonresident undergraduate, resident graduate and nonresident graduate students and goes into effect Fall 2021.