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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  |  Oct. 26, 2016

Chambersburg, Pa. — 51Ʒ�� again demonstrated its commitment to college affordability and value when the 51Ʒ�� Board of Trustees voted this past weekend to hold the line on tuition for traditional undergraduate students for an unprecedented seventh consecutive year.

On the recommendation of President Barbara K. Mistick, the board agreed to hold tuition at the 2016-17 rate of $23,745 for the next academic year.

“We are seeing a continuation of constrained income growth and families remain extremely price sensitive when it comes to choosing a college,” said Mistick. A recent paper called “An Examination of the ‘Crisis’ of College Costs” showed that average family incomes for those earning up to $82,032 have actually fallen over the past 10 years.

“By holding the tuition rate, we are responding to our families’ ability to pay, as well as helping keep our student debt levels down,” Mistick said, adding that she and the board of trustees are firmly committed to keeping a Wilson education affordable.

Along with the tuition freeze, the board held the housing fee steady while approving modest increases in fees for meal plans and technology of 3 and 5 percent, respectively, to cover direct increases in the college’s cost of providing the services. The overall result is that full-time, residential Wilson students will pay just $195 more – 0.54 percent – next year for tuition, room, board and fees, for a total of $35,815.

The college also held tuition at current levels for graduate students and students in the teacher intern program, while approving a 1 percent tuition increase for students enrolled in the adult degree program for fall 2017.

After three years with no tuition increases for traditional undergraduate students, the college reduced its tuition for those students by $5,000, or 17 percent, for the 2014-15 academic year as part of the Wilson Today plan, which also includes the creation of a student loan buyback program that became available to qualified first-year students who enrolled beginning in fall 2014. The tuition reduction was followed by a freeze for traditional undergraduates for 2015-16, 2016-17 and now, again for 2017-18.

Prospective students and their families are responding to Wilson’s “value plan” – tuition affordability and the loan buyback program – according to the college’s admissions office, a fact borne out by the increasing number of enrolled students. This fall, Wilson’s overall enrollment increased by nearly 19 percent over fall 2015, with a 7 percent increase in new students and the largest traditional undergraduate enrollment since 1973.

In addition, the Institute for College Access and Success study on the average debt level from student loans for the Class of 2015—which did not directly benefit from the 2014-15 tuition reduction—shows the debt level for Wilson graduates is $3,185 below the state average of $34,798.

Wilson’s commitment to affordability is being recognized in other ways: The college was ranked a leader among colleges offering quality academic programs at an affordable price, according to U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings for 2017. U.S. News moved Wilson from fifth to fourth in the “best value” category for regional colleges in the North, listing the percent of Wilson students receiving need-based grants at 90 percent.

Wilson’s value ranking, along with recognition as a “Tuition Hero” for holding tuition without an increase over the past six years, affirms the school’s commitment to providing an affordable college education.

Wilson’s continued enrollment increase stands in contrast to national enrollment trends. Based on the most recent data available, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported a decline of 1.7 percent in higher education enrollment nationally for 2015, while showing a slight 0.3 percent decrease at four-year, nonprofit private colleges. Since 2013, Wilson has seen a 48.7 percent increase in traditional undergraduate enrollment, with a 65.8 percent increase overall.

In January 2013, the Board of Trustees approved the Wilson Today plan – a set of initiatives to ensure that the college remains a thriving institution well into the future. The five-part plan includes the 2014-15 tuition reduction and student loan buyback program, infrastructure improvements, coeducation, improved marketing and new academic programs. Undergraduate programs recently introduced at Wilson include nursing, animal studies, health sciences and special education.

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Founded in 1869, 51Ʒ�� is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 34 majors and master’s degrees in education, the humanities, accountancy, management, nursing, fine arts and healthcare management for sustainability. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.

Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college has a fall 2016 enrollment of 1,098, which includes students from 18 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations

Phone: 717-262-2604 Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu