College lowers tuition to attract students

FULTON, Mo. -- Linda Arnold is experiencing a rare emotion as she appraises her daughter's college tuition bill: joy.

Jessica Arnold's education at Westminster College will cost thousands less than her older sister's after the liberal arts college reduced its tuition by 20 percent. Besides the tuition reduction, Jessica got more scholarship money than her older sister.

"'Strange' wouldn't be the word," Linda Arnold said of the price reduction. "'Thrilled' would be the word."

As many state and private colleges raise tuition to make ends meet, Westminster took an approach that has been tried by several other small liberal arts colleges around the country.

For Westminster, the move appears to be paying off. The fall semester is opening with 243 first-time freshmen, the second-biggest number since 1967.

More than 800 students in all are expected on campus when Westminster begins classes today. That helps the college toward its goal of having 850 to 900 full-time students by 2006 and eventually a full-time enrollment of 1,000.

Westminster president Fletch Lamkin said the larger freshman class more than offset the tuition cut, and tuition revenue is actually higher than it was a year ago.

Lamkin said the main goal of the price cut was to reduce sticker shock.

Prospective students would look at Westminster's price and immediately assume they couldn't afford it without asking how much financial aid is available, he said. The tuition reduction also means students won't require Westminster to provide as much financial aid, said Pat Kirby, dean of enrollment services.

First-time freshmen this year will pay $12,300, about $3,060 less than a year ago.

When need-based financial aid factored in, first-time freshmen are paying on average about $1,000 less than last year, Kirby said.

Kirby said Westminster managed to boost its freshman enrollment even as the college received fewer applications.

"I think what the tuition reduction did was get a lot more students who were looking at us seriously," he said.