SEMO COSTLY FOR SOME

Going to college can be expensive, particularly if you are an out-of-state student.

At Southeast Missouri State University, an out-of-state student pays from almost $8,200 to about $9,000 per academic year to take 30 credit hours of classes and live on campus.

In contrast, tuition, fees and room-and-board charges for Missouri residents range from about $6,000 to nearly $6,900.

At Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Murray (Ky.) State University, out-of-state students benefit from tuition breaks that Southeast can't offer because of Missouri law.

For Southern Illinois residents it would cost some $2,000 more a year to attend Southeast Missouri State University than to attend Southern Illinois University at Carbondale or Murray (Ky.) State University.

SIU, with an enrollment last fall of more than 23,000 students, charges in-state tuition for graduates or undergraduate students from 14 western counties in Kentucky.

Graduate students from Missouri, who are enrolled in six or fewer credit hours per semester, also pay the tuition rate charged Illinois residents.

Out-of-state undergraduate or graduate students also can pay in-state tuition if they take up residency in Illinois.

To obtain the in-state rate, students must have lived in Illinois for 90 days and offer proof of their residency, such as registering their vehicle in Illinois and obtaining an Illinois driver's license.

An out-of-state student can secure in-state status even if he lives in campus housing. But the student has to show proof of Illinois residency. Registering to vote in Illinois isn't sufficient.

"We have a liberal policy, but we are not that liberal," said Roland Keim, SIU's director of admissions and records.

Keim said his school doesn't attract many Missouri students. In fall 1993, SIU listed 318 graduate and undergraduate students from Missouri.

Still, Southeast admissions officers say the policy makes it relatively easy for out-of-state students to pay in-state rates.

And there is a big difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at SIU. For the 1995-96 school year, in-state tuition for students taking 30 or more credit hours will be $2,400 compared to three times that for out-of-state students.

Murray State University offers a tuition break to out-of-state students within a 51-county area of Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana.

In Missouri, the area extends all the way from St. Louis to Poplar Bluff.

Southeast President Kala Stroup helped expand the program in Tennessee and Indiana when she was president of Murray State.

With an enrollment of around 8,000, Murray State is similar in size to Southeast.

The university charges $1,000 for in-state tuition and fees for undergraduate students taking a full-time load of 12 hours of classes a semester.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $2,500 a semester. But out-of-state students in the 51-county region only have to pay $1,500 a semester in tuition and fees.

High school graduates who ranked in the top third of their class, have an ACT score of 18 or better and have taken the required core courses in high school are eligible for what Murray State calls its incentive grant program. To get the price break, students must live on campus. Room-and-board costs, including 15 meals a week, total about $1,500 a semester.

In all, those out-of-state students end up spending about $6,000 a year to go to school at Murray.

For Missouri residents, it costs about the same to attend Murray or Southeast. But for residents of Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana that are included in the incentive-grant region, the tuition break at Murray means a savings of a couple thousand dollars over that charged by Southeast.

The 51-county region includes some 20 counties in Southern Illinois.

Phil Bryan, Murray State's dean of admissions, said, "I don't think we really hurt them that much in Missouri, but I think in Illinois we may pick up a few students that they might have gotten."

Last fall, Murray State gave the tuition break to about 800 full-time students, including 142 from Missouri.

COST OF COLLEGE

The cost of education at Southeast Missouri State University

(Based on 30 credit hours per year)

Incidental fees:

Missouri resident tuition, $85 per credit hour....$2,550

Out-of-state tuition, $156 per credit hour....$4,680

General fees, $4 per credit hour.....$120

Textbook rental fee, $12 per book. Average of 10 books....$120

Parking fees (optional) $35.

Room and board charges range from $3,395 to $4,225, based on a 15-meal-a-week plan.

Total costs:

For full-time, Missouri residents range from $6,065 to $6,895 a year.

For full-time, non-residents the cost ranges from $8,195 to $9,025 a year.