President Kenneth Kitts and Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Ross Alexander are proposing significant changes to the university’s tuition system.

UNA will transition from a pay-per-hour tuition system to a ‘banded system,’ where students will pay a flat rate if they are enrolled full time beginning fall of 2018.

The new system charges full time students taking between 12 and 18 credit hours a flat rate. The rate is based on the current cost of a 15 credit hour semester, and students who take less than 12 credit hours will still pay per hour. Students who take 18 credit hours will pay for 15 credit hours/

Kitts said the change in tuition is meant to encourage students to take on the appropriate course load necessary to graduate in four years.

Kitts said the university plans to move quickly to incorporate the new system in a recent email.

“Due to the success of Project 208 this past spring coupled with careful budget planning, we believe we can navigate this change without a tuition increase for AY 2018-19,” he said. “Other universities have employed this system with success, including Auburn University, the University of Alabama and several of the regional campuses in our state.”

Kitts and Alexander held an open forum to discuss the changes on June 4.