Interstate Regional Compacts and College Tuition Break: Who Benefits?

• In Event: 34.098 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Four - Osgoode Ballroom
  In Roundtable Session: 34.098-3 - College Expectations, Regional Compacts, and Income-Driven Repayment: The Role of Finances in Student Behavior

Abstract

There are four regional interstate compacts in the U.S. The four regional tuition reciprocity programs are operated under the interstate compacts and policies. Throughout the interviews, participants noted that parents and students get the most benefits from the tuition reciprocity and break programs. Compact officers noted that institutions and even the departments that need to fill empty seats or to advertise their new programs are among the beneficiaries. Some institutions are using the program as a way of recruiting more diverse and academically well-prepared out-of-state students. Across the compacts, several participants responded that the regional economy would benefit, while others reported some fear of losing their residents or academically strong students through the student exchange and tuition discount systems.

Author

• Mikyong Minsun Kim, The George Washington University