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Mississippi College leaders announced seniors will receive a 30 percent tuition discount for their MC graduate school studies this Fall.
The major discount will help ease financial burdens for MC students and families impacted by the COVID-19 health pandemic.
The tuition reduction applies to this Spring’s graduating seniors. The students would be eligible by enrolling in MC graduate school classes, either full-time or part-time. Fall semester classes begin in late August.
“I’m excited we can provide this opportunity for our graduating seniors,” says admissions director Kyle Brantley.
“We know the job market will likely be tougher this year, so perhaps this is a good time to continue into a graduate program. We’d love for them to continue with us at MC,” adds Brantley, a Mississippi College alumnus.
In recent weeks, more than 26 million Americans suddenly became unemployed as a result of the coronavirus emergency with many businesses closing.
The MC graduate school discount announced Thursday is well-timed as COVID-19 cases climb worldwide.
How much of a savings will this discount provide?
If applied to the current graduate school rate of $625 per hour, the amount gets trimmed to $437 hourly, says Interim Provost Debbie Norris. Savings increase as the number of course hours grow. The full-time load for a graduate student is 8 hours. In that case, the graduate student saves more than $1,500 this Fall, says Norris, the Graduate School dean.
Members of the Class of 2020 gave up their traditional senior year and now Mississippi College is “making an extraordinary opportunity available to them as an incentive to put the past behind them, keep the faith and continue their education,” says accounting professor Billy Morehead.
“As the Bible says in Proverbs 16:9, ‘We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (NLT),’” Morehead said. “Spring 2020 did not go as we planned, but graduating seniors can step out in faith for Fall 2020 and join the MC family in beginning their university journey.”
English professor Steve Price praises the decision. “There’s so much uncertainty, and the discounted tuition hopefully opens up some options. Students can have a plan for the Fall without much financial risk.”
The director of the Writing Center, now entirely online, Price says the tuition discount is part of a series of meaningful steps the institution is taking during tough times. “We’re watching out for students and trying to be proactive. This is another positive move that we’ve made.”
A senior from Highland, Illinois, Austin LaBrot, 20, welcomes the cost discount. “I love that MC is giving the discount to graduate students,” says the political science major planning to attend law school. “MC is truly dedicated to the mission of academic excellence at an affordable price.”
The discount applies to more than 50 of the university’s graduate programs. Some programs are excluded, such as physician assistant, law school, the master of medical sciences, the RN-BSN online and doctorate in education leadership.
More details are available on Mississippi College’s COVID-19 website. People interested can contact the university’s graduate recruitment team at gps@mc.edu or 601-925-7367.
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Professor John Brandon instructs MC business students in a Self Hall classroom.
