In an effort to make the growing cost of attending college more affordable, Seton Hall University has announced that tuition will be lowered by $21,000 next fall for incoming freshmen that meet certain criteria.
According to a press release sent out by the University, the price cut will be available for those who have a combined SAT score of at least 1200 between the math and critical reading sections, and graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class.
"The primary motivation has been that as we go through what looks like a double-dip recession, we wanted to help our students, but in addition, it probably will help us in attracting a certain quality of students," University President Dr. Gabriel Esteban said.
The reduced tuition rate will bring the cost of attendance to $10,104 annually, the exact price New Jersey residents pay to attend Rutgers University.
The University's current annual tuition, not including room and board, is $31,440.
"We've been having discussions for a while because we know times are getting tough for families," Dr. Alyssa McCloud, vice president for enrollment management, said. "A lot of families are confused about what they qualify for, and we wanted to make it more transparent."
As long as students maintain a 3.0 grade point average, they will pay the lower tuition rate for all four years of their undergraduate career.
No separate application will be required to be eligible, according to the press release. Once students submit the standard application to the University, they are automatically considered.
To make the initiative easier to understand for prospective students, the Admissions section on the University's website now has a subsection titled "Private Education at a Public School Price," which is highlighted through a graphic that reads "Attend Seton Hall for the same cost as Rutgers."
On the page there is a calculation of the annual tuition for both Seton Hall and Rutgers, as well as the amount of money students would save by taking advantage of the program.
"We picked Rutgers University because this program is available to everyone, including people from out of state, and we know that people know of Rutgers everywhere in the country," McCloud said.
While the tuition will be lowered for incoming students, the price cut will not be available for current students.
According to McCloud, last year Seton Hall spent approximately $60 million towards helping students through scholarships and aid.
Junior Diana Camacho said that the new tuition cuts are really unfair for upperclassmen.
"There are so many students who would have met the requirements for the discount," Camacho said. "Now new students are going to be paying thousands of dollars less per year while everyone else pays the same."
Camacho said that if Seton Hall wants to do this, they should offer it to all students.
Senior Kyra Greene also said she felt the tuition cuts should be offered to all students.
"It is absolutely astounding that they would not offer this to current students, most of which are in massive amounts of debt," Greene said. "The Hall should rethink their plan because they are losing students that will shape this country's future."
Greene said she was deeply disappointed in the University, but that it was a good idea to discount tuition.
Despite many students taking to Facebook and Twitter to express their concerns, senior Nathan Morin said he thinks the program is a positive thing for the University.
"While I would have not benefitted personally because I was not in the top 10% of my class," Morin said. "I think it will make Seton Hall a viable option for quality students that may not have otherwise applied here."
Morin said he would like the school to help students who are currently attending the University.
"I would hope that the school's generosity and concerns extend to current students also, who have had to pay very high and increasing tuition bills," Morin said.
Nicholas Parco can be reached at nicholas.parco@student.shu.edu
Ashley Duvall can be reached at ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu
