BURLINGTON — Burlington College will reduce the cost of tuition for the 2016-2017 school year, the small liberal arts college announced Monday.
“In today’s global economy, more college graduates are essential for our nation to be competitive. We want to create pathways that enable students to be successful in the workforce and addressing the cost is a critical component,” said Dr. Carol Moore, Burlington College President, in a statement.
Tuition for next year will be $21,500 — a $2,000 reduction from the current cost of $23,500. That does not include room and board. Eighty percent of students according to a press release, receive financial aid, with the average full-time student paying only $2,000 out-of-pocket.
Burlington College “froze” tuition in 2014, according to a new release, and the newly announced tuition reduction runs counter to the national trend of growing higher education costs.
Moore has said recently that increasing enrollment is a priority as the school as it attempts to improve its finances, and the tuition reduction is also an attempt to attract more students.
After Burlington College purchased a 33-acre North Avenue property, using more than $10 million in loans, it was not able to increase enrollment to fill the new campus. Much of the money from a fundraising campaign former college president Jane Sanders used to secure one of those loans never materialized.
Current school officials have avoided closing the college by selling the majority of the North Avenue property to developer Eric Farrell, but increasing enrollment is critical for the college going forward.
Burlington College is still on probation with the accrediting agency, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) because of its financial troubles. As Seven Days first reported, NEASC highlighted weak enrollment figures as a concern in visit last month. Its final decision on whether to re-accredit Burlington College is expected next year.
