Staff Reports

Ivy Tech Community College’s state board of trustees recently approved a new tuition model.

Ivy+ will focus on making college more affordable, ensuring students have equitable access, transparency of cost, on-time completion and a seamless experience, according to a news release from the college.

Ivy Tech becomes one of the first schools in Indiana and first community colleges in the country to adopt this new tuition model.

Ivy+ transforms the tuition structure by including the cost of textbooks as a regularly assessed fee. Ivy+ also will charge the same tuition rate for full-time students enrolled in 12 or more credits. If a student takes 12 credits, 15 or even 24 credits in a given term, the cost of tuition will be the same. Part-time students will see their tuition frozen for the next two years and will continue to pay per credit hour.

As part of the rollout, Ivy Tech will cover the cost of textbooks for students in the 2021-22 academic year through the federal government’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund.

“Research shows that 65% of college students forego buying a textbook with the biggest reason that they cannot afford them,” said Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech president. “Often, financial aid and scholarships do not cover course materials. Our goal is to ensure every student has their textbooks the first day of class.

“Ivy+ makes us the only state institution that is not only freezing the cost of tuition but significantly reducing the cost of attendance at a time when we need many more Hoosiers to earn a quality college credential to launch a high-wage career,” she said. “Ivy Tech could not implement these innovative student-centered initiatives without the continued support of the Indiana General Assembly ensuring community college is accessible to all Hoosiers.”

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For information, visit ivytech.edu/tuition.

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