Four-Year Tuition Guarantee Continues

The University announced that it will guarantee tuition, room and board for four years for the college class entering the University next fall. The tuition these students will pay will remain level from the Fall 2014 through Spring 2018 semesters. In the Dec. 11 statement, officials noted that no student enrolled in the college next fall who goes on to graduate in four years will have a price increase during his or her time at the University.

The tuition rates for the classes of 2016 and 2017 were already guaranteed for four years, and tuition for rising seniors in the class of 2015 had previously been frozen for next year.

“Sewanee’s tuition guarantee represents a considerable savings over what families might have expected to pay across four years, based on the national trend of ever-increasing college costs,” said John M. McCardell Jr., the University’s vice-chancellor and president. “Yearly tuition increases make it difficult for families to plan. By locking in the tuition cost for four years, Sewanee is offering an element of certainty to students and their families.”

According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Education, the average price of attending a private four-year college or university jumped $3,900 over the four years from 2008 to 2012. And the College Board reported in October that private four-year college tuition increased 3.8 percent last year, unadjusted for inflation.

This year’s action fully implements the policy of published tuition prices at Sewanee varying between classes. The University has moved to a tiered system of tuition, fees, room and board under which the comprehensive fee for each entering class is guaranteed for four years from that class’s matriculation. For the 2014–15 academic year, these prices will be: $43,920 for the class of 2015; $44,630 for the class of 2016; $45,970 for the class of 2017; and $47,700 for the class of 2018.