For many seniors at North Central, the college decision process doesn’t stop after acceptance, it usually comes down to one big number and that is tuition cost. This has become a deciding factor for more students as they begin weighing in-state tuition vs out-of-state tuition. This is mostly seen when tuition reciprocity is in the conversation.
With Senior Antione Watts there was a moment when cost outweighed his preferred school choice.
“Yes, there was, I think it was actually Michigan. It cost a lot, so I couldn’t really engage in going to a college out-of-state. So it was kind of hard,” Watts said.
Tuition reciprocity allows students to attend out-of-state schools at a lower tuition rate, sometimes paying around what an instate student would pay. Though, sometimes the agreements can get misconstrued, and Indiana students may not understand the limits as they should.
“In a nutshell, it’s just that some schools have agreed with Indiana that they will pay in-state tuition costs. So, for example, a big one is that the University of Cincinnati agrees with Indiana that they will let students pay what an Ohio student would pay to go to that school,” College Access Specialist Kendall Conaway said.
Many students admitted they did not fully understand tuition reciprocity when they originally started their college journey.
Senior Ayana White is one student who admitted to not fully understanding tuition reciprocity at the beginning.
“I feel like students aren’t really given a lot of information about it. One of the schools I applied to sent out a link to sign up for a scholarship, and it would give you a weekly newsletter of different types of scholarships that you could do. Also, the Comet app helped a lot,” White said.
Conaway explained that with reciprocity agreements, Indiana students attending the University of Cincinnati pay what an Ohio bound student would pay, instead of the full tuition. Conaway made it clear that just because one school participates in it, doesn’t mean the whole state does.
“I know a lot of people probably think, Oh, okay, well, if University of Cincinnati does it, then Ohio State does it, but, no, not every school will do it,” Conaway said.
This common misconception can accidentally shape students’ lists into ways students don’t expect.
Some students feel like reciprocity can limit schooling options but, White said reciprocity overall expanded her college options while searching.
“I think it gives an advantage, ’cause if the schools give you money, it kind of takes pressure off of, like, how much money you need to cover, and it kind of gives you more options,” White said.
Though tuition might be reduced, the expenses can still add up and not be as equal as it was thought to be.
“A big thing is just because they make you pay in-state tuition doesn’t mean it’s equally, like, affordable.”
“You have to think about moving costs, cost of living, like Ohio, or Cincinnati specifically, may be more expensive than your Bloomington or your West Lafayette or Indianapolis when you’re living campus life,” Conaway said.
Students have said there was a specific amount of money given that made their decision “click.”
“Reciprocity helped me decide to go to Alabama State University because they were giving me 10K in an academic scholarship. So it took off a lot of money from my tuition, and I have to cover less compared to other schools,” White said.
Looking back students reflected on how reciprocity in the long run shaped where they will be going in the fall.
“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t think I was gonna go to college or get into Cinci, but, I think it’s pretty cool how I could get in-state tuition for it,” Watts said.
The seniors were asked what advice they would give any underclassmen about this college reciprocity process.
“Be confident in your decisions and make sure you know everything that you’re doing, have a plan, stuff like that,” Watts said.
White had similar thoughts for the underclassmen as they began their college search process.
“I would definitely say, jump ahead on scholarships like, as soon as possible, make sure you read deadlines, look at all types of essays that you have to do. Make sure you get your financial aid done on time too, because that also plays a big part in it,” White said.
