CMU Promise does not cover online courses
Mary Gray came to Central Michigan University under the CMU Promise.
She was surprised to find out her online classes did not fall under the program's tuition freeze.
"I think paying more for online classes is ridiculous," the Grand Ledge junior said. "When I came to Central, the Promise presentation definitely didn't include, 'by the way, this doesn't mean online classes or any other off-campus classes even though you will receive CMU credits for them.'"
She said it doesn't seem like holding online classes should result in higher costs for the university.
"If anything, the cost of supplying online classes seems like it would be less than paying for a professor," she said.
The CMU Promise does not apply to off-campus classes, including online and in-person classes, said Barrie Wilkes, associate vice president of Financial Services and Reporting.
The extra expenses involved in off-campus programs are a reason behind the exception.
"They're renting space and have incoming faculty," Wilkes said. "This all results in higher costs."
Central Michigan University currently offers off-campus courses in 16 states with different credit hour rates for numerous programs.
Merodie Hancock, vice president and executive director of Prof Ed, cited state funding as a reason behind the increased costs.
"Off-campus programs are tuition funded," she said. "We don't put state funding into off-campus programs."
Currently, undergraduate tuition rate for most off-campus classes the just above the rate for students not enrolled under the CMU Promise. Most courses are set at $325 per credit hour, with the exception being for Information Technology and Vehicle Engineering Design Technology courses, which are currently $375 per credit hour.
These programs are competitive and tend to be in high demand, Hancock said.
The undergraduate credit hour rates for on-campus sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled under the Promise are $304, $251 and $213, respectively.
"They have a long list of different rates and different programs," Wilkes said about the off-campus graduate programs.
Location is also a contributing factor to increased tuition, Wilkes added.
"The cost structure is driven," he said. "Different regions of the country have different rates."
Hancock said the in-state rate is lower because the campus is funded by Michigan.
The policy has been ongoing since the CMU Promise was instituted in the fall of 2005, with off-campus classes always being excluded from the tuition guarantee, said Steve Smith, director of Media Relations.
"Off-campus classes were never included with the CMU Promise from the very get-go," he said.
Registrar Karen Hutslar said CMU off-campus programs have always charged different tuition rates, ever since they were initially created in the 1970s.
"They have always charged different tuition rates, whether it's online or face-to-face," she said. "They offer classes all across the county, and they have to bring in faculty members."
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