The University System of Georgia Board of Regents will consider a plan next spring to cut online tuition to make it equivalent to tuition for on-campus classes.
Currently, undergraduate e-tuition at Kennesaw State is $257.33 per credit hour, compared to $180.87 per credit hour for traditional classes. Board of Regents Chancellor Steve Wrigley plans to recommend a proposal to bring the cost of e-tuition inline with the cost of traditional tuition.
“There was not a good explanation for the additional cost,” said Charlie Sutlive, vice chancellor for communications and governmental affairs for the Board of Regents. “So we’ve been working with our institutions to look at how we can address that because one of our priorities is college affordability.”
According to a representative from the Bursar’s Office, the higher cost of online tuition provides additional compensation for instructors who teach online, due to the added cost of the technology involved in designing and teaching online courses.
Some faculty members have voiced concern that eliminating the online fee will force instructors who teach online to do more work without compensation.
Sutlive said the Board of Regents will work with its member institutions to cover the cost of creating new online courses and programs but did not mention how instructors of existing courses will be affected.
“We’re always looking at how we can offer quality education — that’s part of our responsibility in higher education — how can we offer quality education and keep it affordable as well,” Sutlive said.
If the proposal is approved, it will be phased in over a two-year period.
