This fall’s incoming freshmen and transfer students are paying the same tuition rate as last fall’s incoming students. That, in combination with HSU’s long-running tuition guarantee, known as the HSU Commitment, continues to make HSU a very attractive college choice option.
Hardin-Simmons University president, Dr. Lanny Hall, told students, faculty, and staff gathered for convocation ceremonies today in Behrens Auditorium, “New full-time students at HSU are up 6.8% from this same time last year.”
Vice president for enrollment and marketing management, Dr. Shane Davidson, says the number of students who transfer to HSU is also up a dramatic 23.6%. Davidson credits what he calls “the double freeze,” saying, “Number one, tuition did not go up for this year’s freshmen and transfers, and number two, students can lock in their tuition rate as long as they remain full-time students.”
HSU has been hailed as one of only a handful of universities in the nation where tuition does not increase to current full-time students, and HSU members of the Board of Trustees decided last October to surprise its 2012 upcoming freshmen with a 0% tuition increase. Davidson says the decision was a bold move and certainly the first time in recent history that there has not been a tuition increase in the fall for incoming students.
Hall told students during convocation today that this semester marks the 20th year for the HSU Commitment to students, which freezes their tuition rate at their entry level. Hall says, “HSU’s tuition freeze policy also means that the value of any scholarships students receive continue to maintain the same value. One of the comforting things to parents about the tuition guarantee,” says Hall “is that we assure our students there will be no surprises. Parents and students know the very first year what the cost of their degree will be. They know they will not be ‘shooting at a moving target’ relative to their tuition rate.”
Areas of growth for HSU include the sciences, theatre, extension programs in the Logsdon School of Theology and Seminary, and graduate programs in the School of Education and the Kelley College of Business. New students were attracted to two graduate level programs that started this semester, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in leadership and a new specialized M.B.A. in sports management.
Athletic director, John Neese, says, “This is the fifth consecutive year, we will have over 400 student-athletes participating in our athletic program. Our football team has 185 athletes, which is above the average for a Division III program.” Neese says, “Our coaches work hard to identify and recruit students who prefer a challenging academic environment to complement their athletic experience at HSU.”
Head of the HSU Department of Theatre, Larry Wheeler, says his department has grown significantly over the last two years. Contributing to its health, theatre added a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree a year ago, which encompasses three new areas: musical theatre, performance, and design/technical theatre.
Dr. Chris McNair, dean of the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics and professor of biology, says the number of students majoring in biology has steadily increased as interest in health care professions grows. “Speech pathology majors have also increased significantly over the last two years and many of our undergrads have plans to continue on to advanced degrees in environmental management and the HSU Physical Therapy Doctoral program,” says McNair.
The overall number of students is down slightly from last year, which can be attributed to a drop in part-time students. Davidson says he is very happy, however, about a 1.1% increase in full-time students, which brings the total head count of students attending HSU this fall to 2,301.
Davidson says, “We will continue to communicate our commitment to affordability with our tuition rate freeze for incoming freshmen and transfer students. I like to think the word is getting out about that commitment.”