What is the Tuition Transparency Initiative?
Why do we need a Tuition Transparency Initiative?
What does this mean for me?
How will the Tuition Transparency Initiative be rolled out?
What happens in year one? Year two?
What about fees, housing, and food costs?
Yeah, but… won’t Winthrop University lose money?
Will students receive less financial aid?
Does the Tuition Transparency Initiative lessen the value of a Winthrop University
degree?
What about graduating students? Will they receive a “refund” for their tuition that
they have paid?
How will you know if the Tuition Transparency Initiative is successful?
Question: What is the Tuition Transparency Initiative?
Answer: The Tuition Transparency Initiative will evaluate Winthrop’s current tuition and fees to align tuition with the cost of academic delivery. Transparency is key. One of the main objectives of the Tuition Transparency Initiative is to clarify tuition and fees while another is to make clear to students, parents, faculty, and staff how investments are made in terms of academic program delivery (supported from tuition) and the other services and programs offered at the university (supported by fees).
Question: Why do we need a Tuition Transparency Initiative?
Answer: In recent years, the growing conversations surrounding college affordability and the costs of higher education have increasingly taken center-stage both statewide and nationally. At Winthrop University, we have intentionally evaluated our market position, aligned tuition charges with the cost of academic delivery, and controlled costs overall, as well as clarified direct and indirect expenses to students and families.
Since 2018, with funding support from the state of South Carolina and federal sources (CARES Act and HEERF funding), we've held tuition steady, ensuring that the exceptional value of a Winthrop University degree remains accessible and affordable. However, despite recent measures to hold tuition flat, we know additional and more substantial measures are needed to control tuition and fees going forward as well as steward resources to enhance the academic and student experience.
Question: What does this mean for me?
Answer: As a student at Winthrop University, this means that you can expect to receive a modest reduction to your direct tuition charges as a full-time, degree-seeking student. The tuition charges will be charged at a “flat rate” for students enrolled full time, between 12–18 credit hours. For students enrolled less than full time, tuition charges will be assessed per credit hour based on the new tuition and fees. For students enrolled in more than 18 hours, additional overload charges will be applied for enrollment at (and above) 18.5 credit hours per semester.
Question: How will the Tuition Transparency Initiative be rolled out?
Answer: The Tuition Transparency Initiative began with a study during the 2023-24 academic year with the intention to have a new tuition and fees structure in place for all students (both new and continuing students) implemented for the 2024-25 academic year. Our approach will follow a two-year, progressive implementation plan so that additional adjustments may be made for the 2025-26 academic year.
Question: What happens in year one? Year two?
Answer: The progressive approach will include a two-year phased approach to test and implement our changes. During year one, an 8 percent reduction of tuition will be applied for the 2024-25 academic year for all undergraduate students (both new and returning students). The university will work with external partners to monitor and evaluate the reduced tuition against our success metrics (see final Q&A below) to determine outcomes of the first year of the initiative. Results from the first year of the Tuition Transparency Initiative will inform the scale of possible actions for the 2025-26 academic year.
Additionally during year two, there will be an examination of exchanging existing course fees with departmental or program fees in an effort to align the costs of delivery within programs AND the tuition and fees structure of graduate programs will be re-evaluated.
Question: What about fees, housing, and food costs?
Answer: The Tuition Transparency Initiative will include an evaluation of Winthrop’s total direct costs (including tuition, fees, housing, and food), but with particular emphasis on clarifying tuition and fees. Housing and food costs are regulated and adjusted based on market price, consumer price index, and higher education price index (HEPI), along with our food service provider (Sodexo). Therefore, other direct costs (like housing and food) must be managed in relation to market and inflation.
Question: Yeah, but… won’t Winthrop University lose money?
Answer: To be clear, a reduction in tuition certainly leads to a loss of potential revenues. However, this decision isn’t just about revenue for the university; it is about our commitment to our students, families, and the broader community. We've weathered challenges in the past while maintaining the excellence that defines our institution. Yet, institutional economics certainly come to bear in a decision of this scale and magnitude. Increased new student enrollment from recent cycles, along with increased retention of persisting students will generate additional net tuition revenue. Increased enrollment will balance and reduce our net price to allow Winthrop University to optimize a “break-even” point that will ensure the institution remains financially strong, capable of delivering on our core enterprise with excellence while operating from a position of strength.
Question: Will students receive less financial aid?
Answer: First, unrelated to the Tuition Transparency Initiative, there has been a change in the calculation for the Federal Pell Grant eligibility from the Department of Education. With the implementation of the new FAFSA this year, the previous Expected Family Contribution (EFC) metric has been renamed the Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is now what the Office of Financial Aid will use to determine how much federal student aid a student is eligible to receive. However, unlike the EFC, the SAI is not a calculated dollar amount that the student or family is expected to provide. For the purposes of the Tuition Transparency Initiative, it is still undetermined the actual amount of a student’s Pell Eligibility under the new FAFSA. Our Tuition Transparency Initiative determined that a student’s merit award from Winthrop University will not decrease. However, in recent models and scenarios that the Office of Financial Aid has researched, in consultation with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), we have identified that, overall, undergraduate students at Winthrop University will receive increased Pell Grant amounts. Likewise, the overall number of undergraduate students who receive the Pell Grant will also increase. Therefore, it is important to note that, along with anticipated increases to the number and amount of Pell Grant funding, that the institutional merit aid (i.e. academic scholarships) will not change. Likewise, for South Carolina residents, state aid also will not change (determined by a student’s eligibility to receive South Carolina aid). However, the amount of institutional need-based aid will be reduced, but only modestly, to account for the tuition reduction. That aid will be replaced with federal need-based aid for most students. These changes will be reflected in the student’s financial aid offer.
Question: Does the Tuition Transparency Initiative lessen the value of a Winthrop University degree?
Answer: No. We are pleased that the Tuition Transparency Initiative actually affirms our commitment to the enhancement of educational quality and affordability at Winthrop. We are undertaking this meaningful work at the right time, when we are operating from a position of strength and in alignment with our new strategic plan, Winthrop: United in Excellence. The value of the Winthrop experience has never been higher, as we have been ranked as a top five institution among all public universities in the South for 2024, our highest-ever U.S. News & World Report ranking. Also, this initiative comes at a time when our students are “flight ready,” as evidenced by the fact that 91% of last year’s grads were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. The Tuition Transparency Initiative will allow Winthrop University to deliver on a promise to provide academic excellence and outstanding outcomes within an affordable and transparent tuition and fees structure that clarifies cost and value.
Question: What about graduating students? Will they receive a “refund” for their tuition that they have paid?
Answer: No. Students enrolled at Winthrop University during the years from 2020 – 2023 have received benefits from no tuition increases. Also, students have received two rounds of pass-through relief from the CARES Act funding (HEERF I and HEERF II funds) which was intended to offset direct costs of attendance (including tuition) during the COVID years. These combined benefits of no tuition increases and HEERF funding were made available to assist students enrolled over the past few years.
Question: How will you know if the Tuition Transparency Initiative is successful?
Answer: Several metrics and objectives will measure the success of the Tuition Transparency Initiative. First, we will evaluate the change in percentage and volume of enrollment yield of new student enrollments (both new Freshmen and new Transfers). Secondly, we will evaluate the change in retention rates and persistence rates of returning students. Finally, we will evaluate the communication and messaging of financial aid offers and invoices from Student Financial Services for improved clarity and understanding of charges and confidence in the stewardship of institutional resources.
