TUITION EDGE COULD HELP SEMO ENROLLMENTS

Southeast Missouri State University officials can feel good about a 23 percent increase in admission applications for the fall. If the majority of these prospects follow through, the fall semester could bring one of the largest freshman classes in the school's history.

That is a welcome relief from a downward trend plaguing universities and colleges across the country in recent years. The high school graduate pool is finally climbing again. From the fall of 1981 to 1993, Southeast's freshman enrollment dropped nearly 40 percent. Enrollment at the University of Missouri declined nearly 32 percent in the same time period.

Southeast isn't the only school enjoying a resurgence in admissions. The University of Missouri-Columbia reports a possible increase of 40 percent in its freshman class for the fall. Officials can't quite pin down the reason. The graduate pool isn't up substantially. Nationally, 74 percent of students apply to two or more colleges. At Southeast the rate is about 60 percent. But the application trend remains hopeful.

As a border-town university, one might expect a large contingent from Illinois or even Kentucky at Southeast. But state law really hampers Missouri universities in a recruiting students from bordering states. In contrast, both Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Murray State University in Kentucky can offer out-of-state students tuition breaks.

In the days of overflowing enrollments, out-of-state tuitions helped to guarantee spots for in-state students. But even if enrollments grow, they remain far below record enrollments of the 1980s. For the most part, budgets rise and faculty numbers stay relatively stable with fewer students.

Legislators would do well to consider tuition breaks for out-of-state students who live within driving distance of Missouri schools. For example, Murray offers a tuition break for 51 counties in Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana.

Another option would be to adopt a more liberal Missouri residency requirement. In Illinois, a student can obtain the in-state rate with just 90 days' residency and obtaining an Illinois driver's license. In Missouri, it takes 12 months to establish residency, with some exceptions.

Other states also allow students to pay out-of-state rates for a year, and then offer in-state tuition. Not so in Missouri. If the sole reason of moving to Missouri is to attend college, residency can also be denied.

The thought behind the law is appropriate. Missouri's colleges and universities are funded partly by state taxes, so the law makes sure those whose families contribute some of that tax money get a step up. But universities can cap the number of out-of-state students, if need be. Additional student fees could reduce the need for growing tax dollars. It is a concept that has worked well in other states.

The numbers reflect favorably on Southeast and its recruiting efforts. Southeast was the first choice of 79 percent of its students compared to the national rate of 69 percent for four-year public colleges and universities.

Of those Cape Girardeau County residents who opted for college in 1992, 87 percent chose Southeast. That is the highest rate in the state, and is a figure of which local officials can be proud. But it also means that a growing student base must come from outside the immediate area. It makes a change in Missouri's out-of-state tuition requirements all the more meaningful for Southeast.