The University of Connecticut paused its free tuition program, Connecticut Commitment, for low-income students, citing budget concerns amid COVID-19 as the reason for the halt. The program, which is about a year old, offered free tuition to all in-state students with annual family incomes of $50,000 or less.
The decision worries college affordability advocates, who fear more hits to scholarship programs as the pandemic continues.
“Pausing the program is the hardest decision I’ve had to make since arriving here,” University of Connecticut President Dr. Thomas Katsouleas told the Board of Trustees last Wednesday.
While discontinued for the time being, Connecticut Commitment’s first cohort of 260 students will continue to receive free tuition through their four years in college.
The program was projected to cost a million dollars per year, and this year, the expense will ultimately be $700,000 for the university to fulfill its promise to students already in the program. Even though that figure is actually less than expected, the pandemic made charting out the program’s financial future too unpredictable, said Nathan Fuerst, vice president for enrollment planning and management.
The plan was to support the program entirely through philanthropy, but gifts have slowed due to the economic downturn. As a result, “we thought it was prudent to hit pause with bringing an additional class on with the fall 2021 class,” he said.
According to Fuerst, the biggest strain on University of Connecticut’s budget has been the loss of revenue from room and board. Though undergraduate enrollment increased, the university’s residence halls are operating at 40% capacity, which enables social distancing and made re-opening possible. But it was a financial hit.
