To accelerate undergraduates’ careers and reduce student debt, the University of St. Thomas will implement a flat-rate tuition model beginning in the fall 2019 semester.

What is Flat-Rate Tuition?

Last year, students who took 15 hours per semester paid a yearly tuition of $33,000. Flat-rate tuition, on the other hand, will allow students to take anywhere from 12-18 credit hours at a fixed cost of $15,400 per semester for a total of $30,800 per year, saving students $2,200 when they take 15 hours. The goal of the tuition model is to prevent students from postponing their graduation due to their being unable to afford an extra class each semester.

The current generation is increasingly questioning the value of a college education. The typically higher cost of a private institution receives even more criticism, but the new flat-rate model will make the University more competitive in the marketplace. Currently, more than 95 percent of freshman are receiving some sort of financial aid, with a scholarship average of $24,248.30 for the class.

Students as the Priority

The flat-rate tuition will apply to fall and spring semesters. Because financial aid is unavailable to students in the summer semester, the University will reduce the cost of summer courses by half their current price, or $550 per credit hour.

“This is really going to help a lot of students at UST,” Sophomore Lynn Brandon said. “Things can definitely happen that make a lot of people end up graduating later than they expected, but the new tuition cost really assures me that, even when life does happen, it won’t affect my college education.”

For more information, go to stthom.edu/FlatTuition

For questions contact the Bursar, Richard Shuman, at 713-525-6974 or Student Financial Services at 713-525-6992