JACKSON Miss. —Mississippi Valley State University on Thursday became the second public university to allow all out-of-state residents to pay the same tuition rates as students who live in Mississippi. A similar move was made earlier this year by Delta State University.
Following College Board approval Thursday, the state’s six other public universities also plan to waive nonresident charges on a selective basis.
A 2012 law allows universities to reduce tuition to in-state levels for at least some students to attract those who wouldn’t otherwise attend and increase revenue.
Mississippi universities increasingly depend on tuition, as state appropriations have stagnated in recent years. The schools say competitors in other states are waiving charges for Mississippi students.
At Valley, Mississippi residents pay $5,494 for two semesters of full-time tuition this year. Non-residents pay up to $13,734. As at most schools, many students from both groups will pay less because of financial aid.
Of Valley’s 2,500 fall-semester students, 319 were from outside the state. The school says non-resident surcharges should create $2.7 million a year, but it already waives 77 percent of that amount because most non-resident students are athletes, children of alumni or otherwise on scholarship.
Acting Valley President Alfred Rankins Jr. says the move is an attempt to use a low price tag to increase enrollment. The school has struggled to attract students, in part because the population of the Delta region is declining.
