Monday, November 11, 2013

Nationwide Opportunities for Tuition Discounts, by Carly Vail

            Many states partake in college tuition reciprocity. The following information comes from the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
            The Midwestern Region, including students from Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, may be eligible for tuition reductions at certain Midwest public and private schools through the Midwest Exchange Program.  Illinois is not presently included in this program. 
            The Southern Regional Education Board Academic Common Market provides tuition discounts for more than 1900 academic programs in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Also in the Southern region, The Regional Contract Program  enables students to pursue a professional health degree at out-of-state institutions, but pay in-state tuition at public institutions or reduced tuition at private institutions.
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education offers the Western Exchange Program for students in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The Western Regional Graduate Program enables residents to enroll in available graduate programs outside of their home state at resident tuition rates, and The Professional Student Exchange Program enables students majoring in the health care professions to enroll in selected out-of-state professional programs.
The New England Regional Student Program enables New England residents to enroll at out-of-state New England public colleges and universities at a discount.Students are only eligible for a major not offered by the public colleges and universities in their home-state.Participating states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
One can find more detailed information regarding tuition and reciprocity rates on the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators website.