Testimonials

Please let us know how the Tuition Break, the Regional Student Program (RSP), has made a difference for you, by completing a one-page form:

•  Students or graduates (or their families): Please click here.

•  School counselors or administrators: Please click here.

•  College and university administrators or faculty: Please click here.

Here are some testimonials from students, alumni, college administrators and school counselors …

The RSP Tuition Break has enabled eligible students from other New England states to benefit from savings on out-of-state tuition while enrolling at UConn in specialized graduate programs like Biomedical Engineering and Surgical Neurophysiology.

Anne Lanzit
Graduate Admissions Manager
University of Connecticut

The Regional Student Program (RSP), Tuition Break, supports Eastern in its commitment to provide a quality education that is accessible and affordable. The program encourages students to explore colleges they may not have otherwise considered due to financial barriers. Our RSP students can take advantage of Eastern’s unique applied learning opportunities and know that they do not have the burden of paying out-of-state tuition.

Christopher Dorsey
Director of Admissions
Eastern Connecticut State University

I have enjoyed Eastern because of the overall experience I have had, both in the small classrooms with experienced professors, and the large number of clubs and organizations, which have allowed me to develop my leadership skills and network with other students. The Tuition Break program has been instrumental in ensuring that I have been able to continue to afford my education each semester. The program assists Eastern in fostering a diverse student body, which is extremely important to me and part of the reason I love Eastern.

Jonah Badiab
Eastern Connecticut State University, Class of 2019
Home State: Massachusetts
Career Center Specialist, Westfield High School

With declining enrollment and the fear of the cost of college, anything we can do to provide families options related to the cost of attendance, I am in. I mention NEBHE’s Tuition Break and direct families to the website when I speak about ways to finance education. I spoke last year at the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation (NHHEAF)’s Destination College event and will do so again this year when it is at Saint Anselm College.

William R. Hughen
District Director of School Counseling
Hudson School District, New Hampshire

The RSP Tuition Break allowed me to major in Russian and minor in History without being forced to choose a more expensive private institution. The savings provided by the program lowered my debt load and enabled me to put my language skills into practice by seeking work abroad after graduation. I’m very grateful for the RSP Tuition Break and the role it’s played in my academic and professional growth.

William Harney
Russian, University of Vermont
Home State: Massachusetts

The RSP was critical to allowing me to attend college, and along with
being an RA with an additional part-time job, I managed to graduate debt free.
The RSP also allowed me to pursue a major that I’m passionate about, and a field that I’ve been employed in for the almost 17 years since I graduated.

Dennis
Health Care Management, University of Connecticut
Home State:  Rhode Island

The New England Board of Higher Education’s Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break has afforded many students from neighboring states the ability to obtain a top-notch degree in their chosen fields of study. We are proud to participate in this program and thrilled to share this opportunity with our students as it helps us put the world in their hands.

Michael Belcher
Director, International, Regional and Multicultural Admissions
University of Massachusetts Lowell

NEBHE’s Tuition Break is available to eligible students during every year of their journey towards a Pharm.D. degree. The cost savings over the course of the six-year Pharm.D. program is significant and helps ease the financial commitment that goes along with earning a professional degree and becoming a licensed, practicing pharmacist. We are fortunate to be able to offer this program to eligible New England students.

Philip Hritcko
Interim Dean and Associate Clinical Professor
University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy

Southern Maine Community College, in partnership with 16 area communities, offers the Public Safety Student Live-in Program, an opportunity for Fire Science students to live at area fire-EMS stations cost-free and gain valuable experience by serving as fire and emergency medical emergencies responders in their assigned communities. About 60% of the live-in students are from the other five New England states. The reduced tuition made possible by NEBHE’s RSP Tuition Break program gives our Fire Science students the opportunity to earn their college degree, gain valuable experience and serve a local community without incurring unmanageable levels of college debt.

Steve Willis
Chair of Fire Science program
Southern Maine Community College

NEBHE provides outstanding academic opportunities for students. Since fall 2016, more than 1,070 undergraduate and graduate students have been admitted into a NEBHE-eligible program and attended UMaine, receiving the tuition break during their admission term to cost-effectively achieve their educational  aspirations.

Jeffrey E. Hecker 
Executive Vice President
for Academic Affairs and Provost
University of Maine

The Regional Student Program gives students the opportunity to attend out of state schools they might otherwise not have access to financially. The program gives students the ability to pursue their chosen major without having to stay in-state and study in a field that was not their first choice.

Susan M. Saurman
Guidance Counselor, Amesbury High School (MA)

I am very excited to attend the University of New Hampshire, my dream school, and receive a degree in a field that I am so passionate about, but most of all, it is reassuring to know that I will graduate without significant student loans. I cannot wait to see what the next four years have in store for me.

Morgan Oberly
University of New Hampshire, Hospitality Management, Class of 2022
Home State: Connecticut

Tuition Break creates affordable options for students interested in majors not offered in our state system.

PJ O’Toole
School Counselor, Walpole High School (MA)

I knew the University of Maine was the best school for Forestry and I could go there affordably because of the Regional Student Program. I had a great four years at the University of Maine and met some terrific people and followed some very good sports teams. Black Bear for life.

Tim Powers
University of Maine, Forest Management, Class of 1982
Certified Golf Course Superintendent

The RSP Tuition Break allowed me to receive my master’s degree at a fraction of the cost of my peers while keeping me in the New England area. I graduated from graduate school debt-free, due in large part to the Tuition Break. This also allowed me flexibility in my job search, and gave me time to find a career that utilized the skills I gained from my degree program. I am proud to be from an area that really supports students pursuing higher education!

Samantha Friedman
University of New Hampshire, Political Science, Class of 2016
Home State: Maine
Paralegal Specialist in Washington D.C.

I knew that I wanted to attend the University of Connecticut and earn a degree that would allow me to pursue a career in the international realm. The Latin American Studies program at UConn allowed me that opportunity. Without the RSP Tuition Break, I would not have been able to afford the cost of this education without a large amount of debt. After graduating with about $20,000 in student loans, I was able to pay off 25% through my AmeriCorps Alumni Educational Stipend. These two programs allowed me to pay off my student loans in under 10 years.

Timothy Horgan
Latin American Studies, University of Connecticut
Home State: New Hampshire
Associate Director, World Affairs Council of New Hampshire

The Regional Student program is a great advising tool in the college researching process.

Drew Carty
School Counselor, Canton High School (MA)

Had it not been for the RSP Tuition Break I wouldn’t be working in my dream job. It also lessened the financial burden of high student loan payments, particularly in the years following graduation when I was earning a low salary but gaining valuable experience. Thank you NEBHE.

Hayley LaPoint Politis
Meteorology (BS) & TV News (AS), Lyndon State College
Home State: Massachusetts
Broadcast Meteorologist, WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH

The University of Vermont was on the top of my list of preferred universities, but it was also significantly more expensive than the Massachusetts state university where I also had been accepted. Although a degree in Russian was not offered in-state, the cost difference was too great until I realized I was eligible for the RSP Tuition Break. The RSP Tuition Break gave me the ability to pursue the degree and future that I wanted. I graduated from UVM and went on to become a Fulbright ETA in Russia, the country that I had hoped my degree would one day take me to.

Xavier Rock
RSP Program: Russian, University of Vermont
Home State: Massachusetts

If it wasn’t for the RSP Tuition Break, I would not be where I am today. Not only did it determine where I went to college, but it enabled me to follow my dreams and passions. This was the steppingstone to my future. (Watch Senator Chennette’s Tuition Break video promotion here.)

Sen. Justin Chenette
Electronic Journalism Arts (TV and Broadcasting Studies), Lyndon State College, Vermont
Home state: Maine
Maine State Senator; Digital Advertising Executive, Journal Tribune, Biddeford, Maine

In 2007 I said, “It was a big help and definitely made it affordable to attend college out of state. Had it not been for the tuition break I likely would have selected a different major and attended a less expensive college in my home state, which would have drastically changed my life.” I stand by those words today — 12 years after graduating with a bachelor’s in Creative Writing. I remain grateful that I had the opportunity to start down a path, thanks to the RSP Tuition Break, that would lead me toward a career in journalism.

Scott Monroe
Creative Writing (BFA), Johnson State College
Home state: Connecticut
Managing Editor, Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

The New England Regional Student Program made it possible for me to attend the college of my choice, while keeping tuition cost to a minimum. Otherwise I would have had to pay full out of state tuition.

Adam Ayan
Sound Recording Technology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Home state: New Hampshire
Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine

The RSP certainly made it more affordable upon graduating by not incurring a mountain of debt like many of my friends experienced. I feel like it gave me a financial head start compared to many of my fellow graduates that had to pay the full out-of-state tuition.

Andrew Spinale
Marine Affairs, University of Rhode Island
Home state: Massachusetts
Owner, Aquamarine Services, Hull, Mass.

It had been my dream to become an Occupational Therapist and knowing that none of my state’s schools provided me with that option. RSP Tuition Break gave me the opportunity to attend an out-of-state university while reducing the significant burden of the out-of-state cost. Without the RSP Tuition Break, I may not have had the chance to continue my education.

Sarah Lauretti
Occupational Therapy, University of Southern Maine
Home state: Connecticut
Registered Occupational Therapist

Thank you so much New England Board of Higher Education. The RSP Tuition Break allowed me to save thousands of dollars to use toward my graduate studies at a veterinary school in Europe. My undergrad studies at the University of New Hampshire featured an exchange semester in Alaska tracking Dusky Dolphin migration patterns and a semester in New Zealand studying Ecology. I am very thankful.

Mary Offutt
Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology, University of New Hampshire
Home state: Connecticut

The Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break celebrated its 60th year in 2017.

The New England Board of Higher Education held briefings in the six state houses to recognize participating institutions, alumni and students.

Remarks by RSP Alum Jeffrey Emidy, Deputy Director, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission at NEBHE’s Briefing on 60 Years of the Regional Student Program, Rhode Island State House, Feb. 7, 2017

I volunteered to come here today to show my support for the New England Regional Student Tuition Break Program and to explain how it has helped me to further my career here in Rhode Island.

I grew up in Woonsocket and attended the public schools. From there, I went to the University of New Hampshire and graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in business administration.

I returned home to Rhode Island and put my degree to work volunteering from time to time as a docent at Slater Mill, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America, in Pawtucket.

During my time in college, I had heard about the field of historic preservation. By graduation, I had decided that I wanted to get a master’s degree in that discipline.

Master’s of Science programs in Historic Preservation were rare in the late 1990s. I applied to all six of the programs nationwide and was accepted to five, in Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, and Vermont. I really wanted to go to the University of Vermont, because its program is one of the oldest and most well-regarded historic preservation graduate degree programs in the country. The curriculum includes the study of historic architecture, development patterns, development economics, construction systems and techniques, and preservation law. Among others, the UVM program has turned out state historic preservation officers; historic preservation officers of federal agencies; executive directors and field representatives of prominent non-profit preservation organizations; and principals and associates of historic preservation consulting firms and cultural resource management companies nationwide.

But, UVM was pretty expensive. Georgia was the least expensive, so despite the challenges of moving over a thousand miles away, I planned to go there. Having already committed to UGA, I visited the school and realized that I was not going to enjoy being there for the next two years. I called the University of Vermont from Georgia and asked their program head to throw out my rejection of their offer, which he did. Then, I had to pull together the financing.

I remembered or came across something about the New England Regional Student Tuition Break Program and applied for it. Since none of Rhode Island’s state schools offers a master’s degree in Historic Preservation – and still don’t – I was accepted into the program.

Based primarily on my graduate school experience, I secured a position at one of New England’s leading cultural resource management firms, The Public Archaeology Lab, in Pawtucket. After five years, my combination of education and work experience helped me to get an entry-level position back at Rhode Island’s preservation commission. That was 12 years ago. Now I’m the deputy director.

There are a fairly good number of UVM historic preservation graduates working in Rhode Island right now. In fact, including myself, there are three – two from RI and one from Maine – among the 16-person staff of my office. All three of us took advantage of the Regional Tuition program.

Since my graduation, I’ve lectured at historical societies around the state, taught courses in a RISD continuing education historic preservation program, guest lectured in the historic preservation program at Roger Williams University, and served on the Local Historic District Commission of the Town of Cumberland back when our Lieutenant Governor was the mayor of that town. I have no doubt that the caché of UVM’s historic preservation program helped to open doors for me in my career. And I know that without the Regional Tuition Program I would not have been able to afford to attend UVM. Thanks to that program, my loans are paid off, and have been for quite a while. I’m in the office I always wanted to work in, and I get to help Rhode Islanders experience the state’s history around them every day. The RSP helped me achieve my professional dreams.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with you, on behalf of this important program.

Jeffrey Emidy
Historic Preservation, University of Vermont
Home state: Rhode Island
Deputy Director, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission