DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Incoming freshmen and new transfer students to the University of North Texas in the fall of 2014 can sign up for a new flat-rate tuition plan that offers students graduating in four years a $3,000 reduction in tuition and fees plus a $1,000 bonus.
The new Eagle Express tuition plan was approved Thursday by the UNT System Board of Regents and locks in tuition rates for four years. Students who sign up for the Eagle Express plan and earn the graduation incentives could effectively pay the same price for four years of tuition and fees as they would pay if this year's rates were locked in.
"This plan reflects the spirit of our university," said Neal Smatresk, UNT president. "It's new, it's innovative and it is student friendly. The Eagle Express plan gives our students a strong impetus to graduate in four years. It gives students and their families an opportunity to plan their budgets for four years. And it will allow UNT to continue to offer a high-quality education at an affordable rate."
Academically talented students who receive a merit scholarship will be eligible for the plan in addition to their scholarship, potentially allowing them to pay little to nothing in tuition and fees for their education.
Regents also approved a traditional tuition plan for students not wishing to participate in the Eagle Express plan. The plan will increase the total academic cost by 3.9 percent per year for the next four years, a rate of increase in line with the cost of inflation and increased cost of doing business. Room and board will continue to be billed separately for both plans.
"Eagle Express is more than a tuition plan, it's a graduation plan," Smatresk said. "Our ultimate goal is to help students succeed and earn a degree. UNT is committed to strengthening its advising support, course offerings and career path guidance to help students make informed degree choices to graduate in four years."
Eagle Express is available only to Texas residents seeking a bachelor's degree. The incentive and time frame changes depending on how many hours a student has completed.