Dive Brief:
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The University of Maine’s tuition matching plan led to a 54% increase in commitments for out-of-state freshmen entering in Fall 2016.
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Inside Higher Ed reports the increase has not hurt neighboring colleges; though more students from neighboring states have committed to the University of Maine, the numbers at institutions like the University of Connecticut remain constant.
- The University of Maine, which in recent years had struggled with declining a state population overall and shrinking budgets, implemented a university-first wait list, thanks to the influx in applications this year.
Dive Insight:
Last fall, Maine offered to match the in-state tuition rates at flagship institutions in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont for students applying from those states.
Many schools have targeted out-of-state students, who typically come with higher tuition rates, as a way to meet budget shortfalls in recent years. Maine’s plan to admit those students at the discounted rates is unique, and is likely driven by an ever-shrinking local pool from which to recruit students. Still, because in-state rates at flagships in the states targeted by the campaign these out-of-state students will still pay more than students who attend from Maine high schools.
The plan yielded a more diverse student population, and a largely unchanged student profile. It also didn’t cost the university nearly anything: “Even after taking Flagship Match into account, the discount rate for out-of-state students is on track to be about 38 percent, a decrease of less than a percentage point. The discount rate for in-state students jumped by about the same amount,” Inside Higher Ed reports.