The below email was sent to all MGA faculty, staff, and students on April 16, 2024, from Christopher Blake, Ph.D., president of MGA.
Dear Students, Staff and Faculty:
Today, the Board of Regents (BOR) of the University System of Georgia voted to adjust Middle Georgia State University's (MGA) undergraduate tuition rate, to bring our undergraduate tuition in alignment with the rest of the USG state university sector. This is the final adjustment in a three-year BOR tuition plan for MGA. Today's Board approved increase of $24 per credit hour in MGA’s undergraduate tuition will commence this Fall, and our new tuition rate will total $174 per credit hour going forward for our undergraduate programs. This new figure aligns our University with most of the USG institutions within our sector, and MGA continues to provide one of the most competitive tuition rates in the south-eastern United States. The Board also approved a 2.5% increase for online and graduate program credit hours for most institutions, including MGA.
In the past two years we have intentionally directed these additional tuition resources toward student support and student experience. We have invested over $5.5 million dollars and created over thirty academic and student success positions across our campuses, directly to assist student engagement, retention, and graduation. These investments have yielded strong results, for example, in an increase in retention by 7% in year one, duplicated in year two, and continuing the trend line in year three for all students. Our new tuition increase will be similarly dedicated to growing student success and student experience.
I would like to thank our students for their patience and understanding of this three-year tuition plan. During the past two years, I have met with students across our campuses and with the Student Government Association. The overwhelming sentiment has been a desire by our students for investing further in student services, and an appreciation that resources are necessary to accomplish that goal. I would also like to thank our faculty and staff, who have dedicated their work to enhancing our students' learning and success with such diligence and focus.
As we go forward, we will continue to be one of the most academically strong, financially sustainable, and best value-for-money universities in the nation. We are resolutely committed to our core institutional value of Stewardship and will continue to drive that value toward student success. Today, I am grateful that Chancellor Perdue and the Board of Regents have given us the responsibility and opportunity to advance our university journey of greatness at MGA.
Thank you and, Go Knights!
Chris