KINGSTON – Starting this fall, the University of Rhode Island will cut tuition costs for residents of nearby Massachusetts who enroll in its part-time master of business administration program, the university announced today.
“We looked at the data,” said Mark Higgins, URI’s dean of business administration, “and we were attracting very small numbers from Massachusetts, even though we believe many Bay State residents work in Providence.” So, he said, “We took this step to attract those individuals who could simply walk to our Providence campus and then make the short drive home to Attleboro, Seekonk or other nearby towns.”
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Under the new plan, Massachusetts residents who live within 25 miles of Rhode Island will pay the in-state tuition rate plus 25 percent. Eligible will be residents of Attleboro, Bellingham, Blackstone, Dighton, Douglas, Fall River, Millville, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Uxbridge, Westport and Wrentham.
Tuition rates for the fall semester, when the fee reduction begins, have not yet been determined. Under the current fee schedule, however, a three-credit course would cost $3,174 at the out-of-state rate or $1,443 at the new in-state-plus-25-percent rate, for a savings of $1,731.
“The more-affordable tuition rates will make the decision easier for Massachusetts residents to enroll in Rhode Island’s oldest MBA program accredited nationally,” by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, said Lisa Lancellotta, the university’s MBA coordinator. It also will make the URI program more competitive with other local MBA programs, the university said.
URI’s part-time MBA program enrolls about 170 students at a time, about 5 of whom are Massachusetts residents. Fifty new students joined the program last fall, and 31 joined the program in the current semester.
The program requires 36 to 45 academic credits, depending on the student’s undergraduate degree, URI said. At the recommended rate of two courses per semester, completing the degree takes about two years.
Additional information about the University of Rhode Island and its part-time master’s degree program in business administration is available by contacting the MBA program office at 874-5000 or mba@uri.edu, or by visiting www.mba.uri.edu.
