Marietta College Trustees approve no tuition increase for 2019-20

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MARIETTA, OHIO (11/08/2018) Marietta College's Board of Trustees, acting on the recommendation of the College's senior leadership, has approved to not increase student tuition and fees for the 2019-20 academic year - holding the cost to attend Marietta to the same level as 2017-18.

"Holding tuition steady for three consecutive years is our way of telling students and their families, 'We hear you,' and we want to help," said Dr. William N. Ruud, President and Professor of Management at Marietta College. "It is important to maintain a tuition and fee structure that is in line with the financial realities of our students and their families while continuing to provide a transformational educational experience."

Tuition and fees for the next academic year will remain at $36,040. The Board also approved holding the cost of room and board to the same levels for an additional year, which means the total standard cost to attend Marietta College will remain $47,360 before applying scholarships and other forms of financial aid.

"Providing access to a high-quality education is and will always be an important value at Marietta College," said Kelli Barnette '12, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management. "The decision to hold firm on our tuition means we will remain competitive with peer institutions while also bolstering our efforts to enroll more students at Marietta. Private schools can be as affordable or even more affordable as public schools once you factor in tuition, merit aid, scholarships and financial aid."

Barnette said the College will budget more than $16 million in financial aid for the next academic year.

"By allocating these funds to help alleviate some of the challenges that tuition and fees can present, we hope to ensure our ongoing commitment to our students and their future," she said. "We are confident that through strong financial aid packages and holding our tuition at the levels of 2017-18, Marietta College will be able to improve retention rates and be an attractive opportunity for families who may have thought we were not an option."

Michele Marra, Marietta College's Vice President for Administration and Finance, said not increasing tuition was an easy decision.

"It is important that colleges and universities across the U.S. recognize the financial challenges that families face when trying to figure out how to pay for an education," she said. "At Marietta, we looked at a number of tuition models and in the end, we realized that holding our tuition at the same level for another year is in the best interest of everyone."

Students interested in learning more about Marietta College, specifically opportunities for scholarship and financial aid are encouraged to fill out the Institutional Scholarship and Grant Calculator at www.marietta.edu/scholarships. They may also contact the Office of Admission at (740) 376-4600 or email admit@marietta.edu.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 49 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.

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