3 On Your Side: College Tuition Deals
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- What's the best way to attract new customers? Have a sale? Offer a special deal or a coupon? Well as 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan finds, some colleges and universities across the country are applying that strategy to attract budget conscious students.
When Romona Stephens saw a Groupon, yes a Groupon, for a three-credit "Intro to Teaching Class" she signed up. The class normally costs $2200, but she enrolled for the Groupon sale price of $950.
Stephens says, "It was the right opportunity at the right time at the right price."
National Louis University in Chicago says it's the first school in the country to ever offer a Groupon for tuition and it worked!
Seventeen students signed up, including Tom Schwal. He says, "Teaching is something I was thinking about for a long time so this Groupon definitely inspired me."
Dr. Nivine Megahed is President of National Louis University. She says, "We decided to look at this concept because we knew that our students today are very sharp consumers."
3 On Your Side found colleges and universities across the United States offering tuition sales, tuition rate locks, discounts and special deals.
For example, The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, offered 10 percent off tuition and fees, which dropped the total price by $4600. Grace College in Indiana offers an accelerated three-year degree program that saves students about 25 percent on the cost. Columbus State Community College in Ohio gives students 24 years and older up to $3,500 in scholarship money over two years. While Colorado State's online school offers tuition lock for undergrads of $350 a credit hour.
Many schools are announcing any tuition breaks, discounts or special programs on their websites. Look on the university's home page and check in their "news release" section for the latest information and what could be coming in the future.
