COMMUNICATOR
September 21, 2023

2018 Tuition Increase

CSU believes that a quality education should be affordable and that exceptional service should be provided to all students. We are one of the most affordable options in higher education. We strive to go above and beyond this calling by offering affordable tuition rates as well as course materials at no cost for our students through various grants and programs. We do this while continuously enhancing our technology, improving our courses, and managing rising cost.

Effective January 1st 2018, CSU will increase tuition rates but will continue to remain one of the most affordable options in higher education.

This tuition increase will affect the registration periods for terms 4B18 and 4A18. The registration open date for term 4B18 is Oct. 25, 2017 and the registration open date for term 4A18 is Nov. 22, 2017. To view specific start and end dates, please reference the Academic Calendar. All LifePace Learning enrollments received on or after Jan. 1, 2018 will be charged the new tuition rate.

  • Undergraduate Courses
    Tuition rates for undergraduate courses will change from $220 to $225 per credit hour.
  • Graduate Courses
    Tuition rates for graduate courses will change from $290 to $300 per credit hour. The tuition rate for graduate courses per credit hour is $250 for all active-duty military members.
  • Doctoral Courses
    Tuition rates for doctoral courses will change from $350 to $375 per credit hour. Note: Students currently enrolled in the DBA program at a rate of $325 per credit hour will move to $350 per credit hour.

We are proud you have chosen CSU, and you can be assured that we will continue to provide the best value and service available in online learning.

If you have any questions, please email the Academic Advising and Student Support Center at students@columbiasouthern.edu. They will be more than happy to answer your questions

Sincerely,

Robert Mayes

 

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15 Comments

  1. Susan

    Is this expected to be annually now? How do we know that tuition will not continue to rise? Will there be a tuition freeze after this increase?

    1. Libby Reilly

      Good morning, Susan. Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. We understand your concerns. In a society of continual rising costs all around us, CSU has not raised tuition rates in quite some time; however, we also want to ensure that we are able to provide our students with the best and most current resources, technology, and services. We take our promise of affordability seriously and we will always do our best to provide an unmatched education at very competitive tuition rates.

  2. Lubna

    You keep increasing the tuition every year, and I have three objections.

    1. You did not tell me about his increase when I enrolled in and I enrolled in based on the the previous fees.

    2. This increase should NOT apply to the already enrolled students because I never heard a university that increases the tuition on the old students!

    3. What is the cause of the increase? Is it a new building? a regional accreditation? me as an online student, what is new to my education that will convince me to pay more?

    Thanks CSU

    1. Libby Reilly

      Good morning, Lubna. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns. While your academic advisor can provide much more detail for you and your unique situation, we hope to calm some of your concerns here. This tuition rate increase will not go into effect until January 1, 2018. We always want to be transparent with our students and communicate things as soon as possible to give people time to plan accordingly. This increase will allow us to provide our students with continually unmatched value, resources, and technology. We are always working on new things to offer our students to enhance their CSU experience, so stay tuned for more information or reach out to your academic advisor for more information! You can also see some of our student life offerings here: http://www.columbiasouthern.edu/community/student-life

  3. Janeka Medley

    I don’t understand why tuition keeps going up every year and your saying that your trying to keep it affordable. If other schools are doing the same ever year then this school will continue to be cheaper but I’m not happy. I’m tired of paying more for the same things. The professors are not teaching better and the grades are worth the same but the prices for them keep increasing. How about find another way to do it without continuing to raise the prices. People are out her struggling to survive. Impress by not raising the prices. We paying more for gas, food, rent, travel and nothing is improving. This is not cool.

    1. Libby Reilly

      Good morning, Janeka. Thank you for voicing your concerns; we understand that this change may be confusing and even frustrating. As things grow, change and improve, cost often has to keep up. Affordability will always be a top priority for CSU, but more than that, value. We don’t want to just be the most affordable higher education option; we also want to be the leader in our degree programs, service, offerings, and technology. This tuition increase, which will be effective in January 2018, still puts us leaps and bounds above the competition while giving us the opportunity to continually improve in technology, service, enhancements, and growth.
      If you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to your academic advisor. We hope this helps.

  4. TBerry

    Hello,

    Per what is stated about the tuition increase:
    • Graduate Courses
    Tuition rates for graduate courses will change from $290 to $300 per credit hour. The tuition rate for graduate courses per credit hour is $250 for all active-duty military members.

    My question is concerning active duty military members. Is the rate of $250 only applicable to those using TA or is this rate applicable to all active duty graduate students regardless of how they choose to pay?

    1. Libby Reilly

      Hello,

      Thank you for your comment! To answer your question appropriately, please reach out to your academic advisor or call 1-800-977-8449. They will be able to best answer your question and evaluate your individual needs.

      Sincerely,
      Libby Reilly
      Communications Coordinator

  5. Tim

    Why would the new tuition changes applied to International Student when we are already paying the difference in American Dollars? This is a very bad economic time for a tuition increase. Unfortunately, I was not made aware of the increase when I enrolled. This means I have to incur more debt on my personal credit card!!

    Should we be looking elsewhere to continue our graduate studies in Occupation Health and Safety? please advice…..

    1. Libby Reilly

      Good morning, Tim.

      We appreciate your feedback regarding our recent decision to slightly increase the cost of tuition. CSU is committed to providing our students with relevant course materials at no cost, enhancing degree programs, courses and services with the most up-to-date technology in order to enable our students to maximize their personal and professional potential. In order to best meet the needs of our students, CSU has made this tough decision to raise the cost of tuition – but only by 1%. CSU still remains one of the most affordable options in higher education when comparing published tuition rates and fees. While it is ultimately your decision on determining where you will complete your graduate program, we hope that the enhancements that we are making to our overall programs help ease this decision making process.

      Thank you for your understanding.

  6. John S. Layman

    Congratulations on keeping the increase to a modest jump. Thanks for controlling costs as well as you have.

  7. Melinda

    I am a Life Pace Student; what is the latest I can enroll in a class this year and not incur the tuition increase?

    1. Libby Reilly

      Hi, Melinda! I hope you are doing well. Please reach out to your academic advisor regarding enrollments. They will be able to best assist you and give you guidance on what courses to enroll in and the best time to do so.

  8. Angela Mignon Ford

    Libby,

    I’d like to voice my thoughts on the very modest increase in tuition. The cost of education for on line training is still a good value. If the modest increase is to ensure top quality education that is recognized by industries across the country, the additional fee is WELL worth it!

    1. Libby Reilly

      Hello, Andrea. Thank you for your thoughtful reply and feedback! We are glad you are a part of the CSU family.