Come this fall, online classes will be included in the tuition cap, along with a 4 percent increase in tuition rates per credit. This is said to provide a rate approximately equal to the current rate.

The tuition cap for North Dakota State students currently stands as a institutional measure, meaning that any credits taken after the first 12, which is typically equivalent to four courses, will not be charged to the student. That is to say if a student takes 15 credits, they will only be charged for 12 of them.

Online tuition will be charged in terms of residency parameters to avoid North Dakota students subsidizing non-North Dakota students, and it will remain in line with the Minnesota Reciprocity Agreement.

Other changes are remedial math now being included in the tuition cap as it was previously charged separately and Intensive English Language programs being billed at the capped residency rates.

Credits not integrated into the tuition model are credits taken through the Career Center such as internship credits, graduate credits obtained through the School of Education because courses take place off campus, Project Lead the Way credit fee and the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance.

The tuition cap measure was originally implemented to be an incentive for students to get a degree faster by taking 15 credits per semester instead of 12.

For students, this means two things: their online classes, some of which may be required for graduation, will finally be included in the tuition gap, and they will see an increase in their tuition whether or not they are taking an online course.

While this news may make some students leap for joy, there was almost no report of the change despite it being approved by the Faculty Senate Oct. 27, 2017.

The Faculty Senate has been silent toward students when it came to this measure. Why? The measure even states that part of its purpose is to increase transparency to students, so why don’t more people know about it?

For those who are motivated and aware enough could have been able to find the information online after a Google search and a little digging, or if they listened to Minnesota Public Radio they might have heard a moment dedicated to a tuition change at NDSU, but ultimately this was not publicized.