ISU first to try tuition lock

Idaho State University students will now have a tuition lock.

Governor Butch Otter announced Thursday about the launch of a tuition lock pilot program at ISU. It will start with incoming freshman for the fall semester of 2016.

The cost of tuition will be figured by the average cost of attendance over four years. Then each year, the students will pay that same amount. It will not increase for all four years.

There are qualifications to be eligible for the tuition lock. Students must be Idaho residents taking a minimum of 15 credits per semester. They must also maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.

The student must be continuously enrolled each semester. There is an exception for those who leave for military service, religious missions or humanitarian service. They will have to attend one semester before they leave to qualify.

ISU is the first university in Idaho to try the tuition lock.

“We’re excited to be the first to introduce this in Idaho,” said Stuart Summers, associate vice president of marketing and communications at ISU. “And we’ve had a lot of positive feedback from students and their parents already.”

Summers said the great thing about this is that prospective students and their parents will be able to sit down and figure out exactly how much their college education is going to cost. This can allow them to plan ahead financially.

If the tuition lock is successful at ISU, Otter plans to implement it in other universities across the state.

The tuition lock has received a lot of support from the State Board of Education, but it does still need formal approval. This will happen at their meeting on April 13.