The adaptations we’re undertaking as a society, and implementing the very necessary public health orders to limit the spread of coronavirus, require collective action.
Since May — when we announced we would not raise tuition, fees or housing rates this academic year — faculty and staff across campus have been working together to modify operations and identify cost savings. Many of these changes will not be easy to implement, but we’re making them for the greater good.
Thanks to campus planning efforts, I’m pleased to announce we will apply a portion of the cost-savings identified to lower online tuition rates for Fall 2020 from $434 to $400 per credit hour. We know students and their families are experiencing stress and many face eroding financial situations. This adjustment is one more way we can positively impact the lives of those we serve.
The new rate applies to all students including in-state, WUE/MP and out-of-state students. Additionally, Colorado residents are eligible to apply their Colorado College Opportunity Fund stipend, effectively making their net tuition rate $360 per credit hour for online courses. These rates will apply long-term, assuming no major change in course delivery due to COVID, and apply to any student enrolled in an online course starting this fall regardless of when they registered.
Our return-to-campus plan is based on our belief that in-person course delivery adds value to students’ development as professionals and citizens, and data showing that on-campus learning is preferred by the vast majority of our student body. Through careful planning with medical and health advisors, we’re confident in our ability to test for and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
As part of our planning efforts, we worked diligently to limit the number of classes moved to online and hybrid delivery models. However, logistical realities, and our need to protect the health of vulnerable faculty, required some sections shift delivery mode.
Classes moved from face-to-face to online delivery have undergone a rigorous course design process where faculty worked incredibly hard — and side-by-side with instructional designers from our Office of Distance Education — to create a quality experience based on best practices for online learning and their own expertise. What students experienced during the disrupted spring semester is not equivalent to online courses that are intentionally built for online/hybrid delivery. We’re confident that the experience for students in those courses this fall will be one of quality that lives up to our promise.
Adapted operations + cost-savings where possible + improved quality + lower tuition rates = collectively doing all in our power to ensure high-quality teaching and learning continues.
Together, we can accomplish incredible things.
Sincerely,
Tim Foster