Full-Time Plus Tuition Model Approved Effective Fall 2025
What’s Changing
Beginning Fall 2025, undergraduate students will pay an additional $348 per credit hour for any credit hours exceeding 15 in a semester. This replaces the current threshold of 18 hours. 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. To ease the transition, EKU President 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.
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.
Student Actions
Review your course loads for Fall 2025 by July 1, 2025.
Schedule an advising session if you need guidance in adjusting your schedule.
Visit Big E Central with questions about financial aid coverage.
Things to Note
This proposal effects on-campus students only. EKU Online programs have always been based on a per credit hour model.
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: When does the change take effect? A: Fall 2025.
Q: How much is the fee? A: $348 per hour over 15.
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: Will this impact current Spring/Summer 2025 schedules? A: No, those semesters are not affected.
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. Continuing students will receive their financial aid offer notifications once final grades are posted for the current Spring 2025 term. 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.
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: You’ll receive info through myEKU closer to the start of the Fall term. Charges over 15 credit hours will be explicitly noted on the billing statement.
