NEBHEs Regional Student Program (RSP), known as Tuition Break, provided more than $53 million in tuition savings this academic year to 9,338 participating students, according to the recently published 2012-13 Annual Report of the New England Regional Student Program (RSP).
Highlights from the 2012-13 RSP Annual Report:
- The RSP provided more than $53 million in tuition savings to 9,338 participating students, with a full-time student saving an average of $6,955.
- The participating institutions received more than $64 million in tuition revenue from RSP students enrolled at their campuses.
- Overall enrollment increased slightly (1%) over last year. Four states saw increases this year in incoming RSP enrollment to their public colleges and universities: Maine (11%), Connecticut (8%), Rhode Island (4%) and Vermont (2%).
- Three states saw increases this year in the number of their residents enrolling under the RSP: Massachusetts (5%), Connecticut (3%) and New Hampshire (1%).
- Undergraduate programs at New England’s state colleges and universities accounted for 52% of RSP enrollment; graduate programs, 9%; and community colleges, 39%.
- Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine saw the highest percentage of their residents enrolled under the RSP in undergraduate programs at the state colleges and universities—77%, 60% and 55% respectively. New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island saw the highest percentage of their residents enrolled under the RSP at the community colleges—55%, 50% and 46%, respectively.
The annual report provides current and historic data on RSP enrollment by state, institution and program, as well as RSP tuition savings and revenue by state. NEBHE calculated annual 2012-13 data based on a fall 2012 survey of the participating institutions.
Because of the RSP, New England residents are eligible for a tuition break when they enroll at out-of-state public colleges and universities in the six-state region and pursue approved degree programs not offered by their home-state public institutions. In some cases, eligibility extends to students whose home is closer to an out-of-state college than to an in-state college.
More than 750 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are offered under the RSP, many of them in specialized and high-demand fields. Program offerings expand each year.
In 2012, the region’s public colleges and universities approved 24 additional programs:
- Associate degree program (1): Polysomnographic Technology.
- Bachelor’s degree programs (8): Allied Health; Design (Graphic & Web BFA); Energy Systems Engineering; Environmental, Earth and Ocean Sciences; Human Development and Family Studies; Nuclear Medicine Technology; Peace and Conflict Studies; and Visual Communications.
- Graduate programs (15): Adult Learning (MA); Autism Studies (MS); Bioengineering (PhD); Cognitive Science (Cert.); Conflict Resolution (Cert.); Criminal Justice (PhD); Direct-Entry Nursing (MS); Engineering and Applied Science (PhD); Food Systems (MS); Global Governance and Human Security (PhD); Health Care Genetics (MS); International Relations (MSPA); Museum Studies (MA); Peace and Conflict Studies (MA); and Urban Multicultural Special Education (MEd).
Now in its 56th year, the RSP was established by NEBHE in 1957-58 to fulfill the purposes of the congressionally authorized New England Higher Education Compact – expanding educational opportunities for New England residents and sharing higher education resources. The RSP helps the individual New England states avoid the high costs of establishing and operating academic programs already offered in the six-state region.
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