LMU BOARD FREEZES UNDERGRADUATE TUITION

December 19, 2008 - Harrogate, Tennessee—As college students around the country are bombarded with news of budget cuts and tuition hikes, the undergraduate students of Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) were given a special holiday greeting this week. The students were notified in a letter from LMU President Nancy B. Moody that the LMU Board of Trustees had recently voted to approve a balanced budget for the 2009-2010 academic year, which included a 0% undergraduate tuition increase. Additionally, the board voted to freeze all University housing fees at their current level.

“Since the economic climate has been so volatile lately, I have communicated with our students that their needs are a priority at LMU,” Moody said. “It was a bold move by the LMU Board of Trustees to approve a balanced budget that would enable us to continue to provide a world-class education while maintaining costs and increasing access to postsecondary education.”

In 2007-2008 LMU’s tuition was 39% below the national average for four-year private institutions. The cost to attend LMU and live on campus is around $20,700 compared to a national average of $34,132. Trends in higher education have shown tuition and housing fees rising every year. The College Board cost study showed that tuition at four-year private institutions rose by an average of 5.9% while housing costs went up by 4.8%. At public institutions, the College Board reported tuition rose by 6.4%. In Tennessee, a state sales tax shortfall has resulted in severe cuts in public institutions’ budgets and threatens a double digit tuition increase.

According to the University’s economic impact study released last January, LMU’s total economic impact on the state of Tennessee was more than $68 million for fiscal year 2007. The study, prepared by renowned economist Dr. Gerald Doeksen and his colleagues at the National Center for Rural Health Works at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, examined four primary areas of economic impact: college operations, construction, student spending and visitor spending.

“The mission of Lincoln Memorial University has always been to educate the people of this region,” said Dr. Autry O.V. “Pete” DeBusk, chairman of the LMU Board of Trustees. “By providing educational opportunities we also provide economic opportunities. An expanded workforce of highly-trained professionals infuses needed job opportunity and economic growth in the state. To be able to continue to impact the state’s economy by over $68 million a year while maintaining costs for our students is a testament to the leadership, administration and staff at LMU.”

This fall marked the ninth consecutive record enrollment at LMU since the trend began in Fall 2000. Total enrollment at LMU stands at 3,365 students. Census data shows that new and expanding graduate and doctoral programs continue to spur enrollment. LMU-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) welcomed its second class of 160 students in July. Additionally, the Caylor School of Nursing initiated a new concentration in its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degree Program with the inaugural nurse anesthesia class. The University plans to launch its proposed Physician Assistant program this May and has targeted Fall 2009 to start its proposed School of Law and to add a doctoral program to the Carter and Moyers School of Education.

Tuition rates for graduate programs at LMU will rise by 3-7% for the 2009-2010 academic year. The rate changes will vary by academic program and were approved by LMU Trustees last week. Despite the increase, graduate tuition at LMU remains well below the undergraduate per credit hour rate of $630.

LMU awards over seven million dollars of institutional financial aid and more than $300,000.00 in endowed and annual scholarships each year. In light of the economic climate, LMU has encouraged its students who have seen their economic situation change for any reason to contact the Office of Financial Aid to see if any additional aid can be secured.

Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. The main campus is located in Harrogate, Tennessee. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate programs available at LMU, contact the Office of Admissions at 423-869-6280 or e-mail at admissions@lmunet.edu.

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