EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
A major announcement from the University of Evansville Thursday. Current and prospective students are being told they won't have to worry about another tuition hike for years.
It's mid-August and things are pretty steamy here in Evansville, but at UE right now, they're excited to welcome what they're calling the Big Freeze.
As students settle in for a new year on campus, they're being welcomed back with some welcome news.
Many at UE are happy to hear about the Big Freeze.
"I like it. I think it's going to be very beneficial, and also to the school as well," said sophomore Adria Mehringer.
Effective immediately, the university is freezing undergraduate tuition at $29,740.
That price, a 3.9% increase from last school year, is now locked in for current students until they've finished four years.
High school seniors who enroll next fall are guaranteed no tuition hikes until graduation.
"We think we just have to get out ahead of this and make a bold statement, a statement that says we're willing to help you come to the university," said UE President Dr. Thomas Kazee.
"I think this will definitely get more people looking at U of E more than, maybe, more than before," Mehringer said.
And it's that idea Dr. Kazee is banking on, because after all, a tuition freeze means less revenue coming in.
"So, by holding our price at an affordable level, we know we're going to be able to recruit a larger number of students."
Even though she isn't footing her tuition bill right now, "My parents are paying for it," Mehringer said, she knows her time will come when she has to pay them back.
So the Big Freeze and the savings it will bring her and her fellow students, is appreciated.
"It's definitely going to help in the long run, too," she said.
To clarify, this will be locked in for next year's freshman class for four years of undergraduate studies. It won't continue on into a fifth year or graduate school.
UE says private, nonprofit universities average a 4-5% percent tuition increase a year.
To learn more about the tuition freeze and four-year price guarantee, please visit www.evansville.edu/bigfreeze or contact the Office of Admission at (812) 488-2468 or admission@evansville.edu.
For more information on career development services at UE, please contact the Center for Career Development at (812) 488-1083.
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