Cornerstone University Announces Pricing Restructure Plan for Traditional Undergraduate Students
Given its commitment to serving the best interest of students, Cornerstone University announced that it is restructuring its pricing model. The academic pricing restructure, for traditional undergrad students, addresses three aspects of college costs:
- Expansion of the block tuition. Historically, students have been charged a set price for a block of 12-17 academic credit hours. The restructure will expand the block to 12-18 credit hours for the same price. This change, which will take effect in January 2018, allows students to take additional hours without increasing their financial cost. The expansion of the credit hour block will offer students the opportunity for an 18th credit at a savings of $700 per semester and up to $1,400 per academic year.
- One-year tuition freeze for returning students. Instead of the annual tuition increase that students normally pay, net tuition for returning students in the 2018-19 school year will remain the same.
- Reduction in the tuition “sticker” price. Starting with the fall 2018 semester, pricing for the academic year will be reset from the 2017-18 tuition “sticker” price of $27,520 to $24,500 for 2018-19.
Already one of the midwest region’s best values in college education according to U.S. News & World Report, these changes enable Cornerstone to address the realities of escalating college costs. Simply, the moves help make a faith-based education more accessible.
“We are constantly looking for ways to reduce costs to our students while preserving a sustainable, high quality academic experience in an educational environment where our students can grow and flourish both professionally and personally,” said Dr. Joe Stowell, president of Cornerstone. “These steps move us forward in fulfilling our mission to be a student-focused learning environment where Jesus Christ is central.”
The changes occur in the midst of a flourishing campus environment. Cornerstone is launching new nursing and engineering programs this academic year and, in October, the university will break ground on a new $15.5 million academic science and technology center.
“Our goal is to help more students have access to market-relevant degrees that lead to meaningful careers as seen currently through our above-average job placement rates,” said Stowell, referring to Cornerstone’s 93% of 2016 traditional undergraduate students who were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.
