After Cutting Tuition, Sewanee Locks in Rates

Sewanee sits atop Monteagle. (photo courtesy University of the South)

First it cut tuition by 10 percent, then held the line. Now the University of the South has announced it will freeze tuition rates for incoming freshmen until they graduate in 2016.

Several institutions around the country have contemplated capping tuition for current students. Few have pulled the trigger. But dean of admissions Lee Ann Afton says Sewanee is already reaping benefits from reducing tuition. More students are applying, and retention rates are up.

“We know that this is locking us in, but we’re convinced that’s the right thing to do.”

With nearly every university raising tuition each year, Sewanee’s board chair says higher education is on the verge of pricing itself “beyond the reach” of more families.

However, the four year freeze at $45,000 won’t necessarily cost the liberal arts college in the long run, if all goes according to plan. Sewanee is also moving away from merit-based scholarships to get those who can afford to, paying their own way. This year, 29 percent of freshmen are paying full tuition. That’s up from just 21 percent the year before.