Out-of-state undergraduate students at the University of Alaska Southeast will see lower tuition rates beginning next fall.
The campus is getting rid of out-of-state tuition for all undergraduate students as part of the Alaska Unlocked program. Out-of-state students made up 12% of the entire student population last fall. Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Lori Klein said it is part of a strategy to make UAS more accessible for out-of-state students.
“At UAS, we’re focused on enrollment growth, and in order to do that, we have to remove the barriers, or in this case, through Alaska Unlocked, create the pathway for out-of-state students to join us in this amazing place, at this amazing university, with our programs and our faculty and our services,” she said.
This comes as enrollment at UAS has fallen since 2012, with a slight increase beginning in 2022. Klein says the state’s declining population means they are looking to applicants outside the state to bolster enrollment. And she said they benefit both the university and the state.
“Our out-of-state students have strong retention and completion rates,” she said. “And not only are out-of-state students, not only do they stay with us through completion of, they often then stay in Alaska, and they work in Alaska.”
Klein added that they are also continuing to improve recruitment efforts within the state as well.
Tuition at UAS this year is $240 to $290 per credit hour depending on the level of the course. Out-of-state tuition is currently $600 more per credit hour. Klein says many of the out-of-state students at UAS currently pay 1.5 times in-state tuition under the Western Undergraduate Exchange. That’s a program where students from specific states and territories can pay a lower tuition rate at participating universities.
Separately, the University of Alaska Board of Regents is also considering a 3% tuition increase across the entire university system for next year.
Klein said in an email to KTOO that UAS estimates it will lose about $400,000 in tuition with the change. The campus will need 70 new out-of-state students taking 24 credits in an academic year to make up the difference.
But Klein said they’re committed to exceeding that goal in the coming years.
“The loss of revenue is a risk, but we, we believe in the quality product that we have, and we believe that this is this school, UAS is a right fit for so many students,” she said.
Klein said the campus has also doubled its recruiting staff. She said three out of the four positions are currently filled, and they are traveling in and out of the state to recruit students.
The university accepts applications on a rolling basis until Aug. 1 for the following school year.
