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Full-Time Plus

Full-Time Plus Tuition Model Approved
Effective Fall 2025

What’s Changing

Undergraduate students will pay an additional $348 as a Resident Student (In-State) or $400 as a non-resident (Out-of-State/International) student per credit hour for any credit hours exceeding 15 in a semester. Students will still be considered full-time at 12+ credit hours and can take 12-15 credit hours at the standard full-time tuition rate.

EKU President Dr. David McFaddin has established the Full-Time Plus Transition Scholarship for Fall 2025 to cover the gap for continuing students who may be affected by the change. Student Success will identify those students eligible based on registration hours and unmet financial need compared to Tuition and Fees, students must have been registered for full-time courses by July 1, 2025. Students will see the scholarship on their account beginning September 1, 2025.

Why Now?

Several trends have led to this consideration:

  • Improved Scheduling: Students often register for more courses than they intend to complete and later drop them. This creates challenges for faculty scheduling and department staffing.
  • Tuition Equity: Disparities exist between how in-person and online courses are billed, resulting in inconsistencies that the university must address.
  • Financial Stability: The additional revenue from this proposal would support long-term financial stability, reduce the need for budget reductions, and improve academic quality. With many students arriving at EKU with dual credit hours, this change would help EKU to more accurately plan course schedules, allocate resources to courses needed and better serve students.
  • Institutional Alignment: Alignment with other institutions on net cost or fee structure.

Student Impact

  • Financial aid will cover the additional cost for most students. If it does not, Student Success will identify and reach out to those students eligible for financial assistance based on registration hours and unmet financial need.
  • For students who have received refunds in the past, those funds are part of a shared tuition model, and future refunds may now be adjusted. However, financial aid packages will remain unaffected.
  • Students will continue to pay the standard full-time rate for 12-15 credit hours per semester and are encouraged to enroll in 15 credit hours to promote timely progression. Students are encouraged to meet with academic advisors to carefully plan their schedules, including considering efficient course selection, summer and winter courses and leveraging available financial aid options.

Things to Note

  • This consideration follows a review of tuition models across peer institutions.
  • Time To Degree: EKU and other publics are evaluated on time to degree or credit hour to degree for statewide assessment. Goal is 120 credit hours and 4 years.
  • The majority of EKU baccalaureate programs are 120 credit hours and are designed to be completed in 8 semesters of 15 credit hours each. 
  • The proposal has been discussed in various university forums, including:
  • President’s Cabinet
  • Provost’s Cabinet
  • Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee
  • Academic Chairs’ Meetings
  • Finance Committee
  • Board of Regents
  • Student Government Association

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How much is the fee?
A: $348 per hour over 15 for Resident students (In-State) and $400 per hour over 15 for Non-Resident (Out-of-State/International)

Q: Can I still take more than 15 credit hours?
A: Yes. You can still take more than 15 credit hours—just know that once Full-Time Plus is implemented in Fall 2025, each additional hour will incur a per-credit hour fee.

Q: What if I have scholarships or financial aid?
A: Most financial aid packages will adjust accordingly, as aid is based on full-time status and cost of attendance. Most students’ aid will cover the added cost. If it does not, Student Success will identify and reach out to those students eligible for financial assistance as outlined in the parameters above.

Q: What if I need to take more than 15 hours a semester to stay on track to graduate?
A: We understand this concern. Academic advisors will provide individualized or group advising to help plan your schedule and explore options. To help manage your course load and minimize additional costs, we also encourage you to consider taking courses during the summer or winter terms.

Q: How will I know if I’m impacted?
A: Charges over 15 credit hours will be explicitly noted on the billing statement. 

Q: Which students qualified for the Full-Time Plus Transition Scholarship?
A: Eligibility criteria for the transition scholarship were based upon students being enrolled in at least 15+ hours for Fall 2026 by July 1, 2025, having a FAFSA on file, being  continuing students.The awarded amount would not exceed the amount charged to the student for their full-time plus charge. Students were required to be enrolled as on-campus students, either in-state or out-of-state. Online students were already charged a per-credit-hour rate and therefore not included. The Full-Time Plus Transition Scholarship was only intended to cover the tuition and fee gap created by the full-time-plus charge.