PEMBROKE — As the recruiting season heats up at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NC Promise — the promise of radically lower tuition fees — has supercharged interest among prospective students and will likely boost the university’s enrollment by as many as 1,000.
NC Promise significantly lowers tuition to just $1,000 per year for in-state students in the 2018-19 school year and puts a cap on student fees. Tuition for the 2017-18 school year is $3,602.
Administrators say NC Promise is working so far: Completed applications from prospective students are up 50 percent compared with last year at this time.
Online traffic is up almost 3,000 percent for in-state students and more than 11,000 percent for students in nearby South Carolina. The annual admissions cycle is just beginning.
For a student living on campus, the total price tag of a college education drops 15 percent to $14,675 per year. Out-of-state tuition was reduced to $5,000 from $15,193. As a result, a year at UNCP, including room, board and fees, will cost out-of-state students $18,675.
NC Promise was an offer the state General Assembly extended to several state universities, and UNCP, with Cummings leading the way, jumped at the opportunity along with Western Carolina and Elizabeth City State universities.
Students who live close enough to the university to commute stand to benefit the most from NC Promise. That would put Robeson County students in a most-favored place. UNCP enrolls more than 1,500 students from Robson County.
“Commuter students, not paying room and board, will certainly receive a great deal on a high-quality education,” Chancellor Cummings said in a recent interview. “It’s a win-win, regardless of the type of student, making a college education more affordable.
“On average, NC Promise will save students about $2,500 a year (in-state) and $10,000 a year (out-of-state), totaling more than $10,000 and $40,000 respectively over four years — a significant savings for students starting their careers or moving on to graduate school upon graduation.”
Rising student debt is a national concern. At UNCP, graduates walk away with a diploma and an average of between $20,000 and $30,000 of debt. More than half of UNCP’s students receive Pell Grants, the federal student aid program for students from low-income families.
UNCP has had time to prepare for the start of NC Promise next spring. Its marketing budget has quadrupled.
“The primary goal of our marketing efforts has been to drive awareness – — to make families in North Carolina and bordering states aware of this innovative new program to address the cost of college,” said Jodi Phelps, director of University Communications and Marketing. “The three NC Promise universities worked together with the UNC General Administration over the summer to create an informative video that became the anchor of a joint social media and digital campaign early in the fall semester.
“The joint campaign ran through late October, and since then, the individual universities have been including NC Promise messaging in their typical admissions marketing efforts.”
The message is being carried on billboards, radio and television, and in print ads and digital advertising. It is part of face-to-face discussions with prospective students and families during visits to high schools and during open-house events.
UNCP enrollment peaked at nearly 7,000 students several years ago and is about 6,300 today. The university estimates enrollment will increase between 500 and 1,000 students next year, but should not overwhelm the campus’ facilities.
“The university is looking to grow enrollment but to do so intentionally and strategically to maintain the personal approach to educating students,” Chancellor Cummings said. “The goal is to grow intentionally, to retain all of the wonderful things that make UNCP unique, like our personal approach to education and the attention individual students receive.”
Cummings promises the same small classes and personal approach to education at UNCP going forward.
“NC Promise will increase the demand for a UNCP education, attracting additional students from across North Carolina, the nation and beyond,” he said. “As we grow, UNCP will remain deeply committed to serving the people of Southeastern North Carolina, including minority, first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.”
What the North Carolina legislature has given, it can also take away. To keep UNCP financially whole, state lawmakers will have to fund the gap between UNCP’s higher tuition this year and the lower tuition next year.
This concerns Cummings, but he maintains confidence in the legislature’s promise to fund the gap.
“It is important to understand the NC Promise legislation requires the state to increase its investment in the selected campuses to offset the reduced tuition revenues,” he said. “Legislators have demonstrated their commitment to NC Promise by increasing funding for the program by nearly 30 percent since its inception, from $40 million to $51 million.
“Understanding that NC Promise — like any public policy — may not continue forever, UNCP is planning measured, strategic growth to ensure the long-term sustainability of our institution.”
At first, there were reservations about the General Assembly’s surprising offer to lower tuition. Several universities, including Fayetteville State, declined to join the program.
“The campus community recognizes that NC Promise is a tremendous opportunity to increase access to a high-quality education,” Cummings said. “Given the unprecedented nature of the program, faculty, staff, students and alumni have been eager to learn about how our institution will be affected.
“Throughout the process, we have reiterated that NC Promise will only strengthen the quality of a UNCP education and our ability to serve the people of Southeastern North Carolina.”
At the same time, NC Promise solves the problem of serving South Carolina residents who live near Pembroke. The university has long coveted a solution to the problem of bringing South Carolina students into the fold.
The price may finally be right for these out-of-state students, Cummings said.
“Historically, a number of talented South Carolina students have come to UNCP, paying nonresident tuition despite their proximity to campus,” he said. “This new tuition plan reduces UNCP’s total cost of attendance for nonresident students, in some cases making a UNCP education lower than their home state’s resident rates.”
So far NC Promise seems to have attracted more interest at UNCP than at either Western Carolina or Elizabeth City State, according to a report in the Raleigh News & Observer. While applications are up 50 percent at UNCP so far this year, they are up only 11 percent at Elizabeth City State and 12 percent at Western Carolina, compared with last year at the same time.
