“The advantages include increased enrollment and maximized capacity for academic programs.” Illustration originally published on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, by:
ASU will discontinue the Western Undergraduate Exchange program for next year’s incoming freshmen. The new scholarship to replace it, which will be available to all out-of-state students, will raise tuition costs for nonresidents from western states.
WUE allowed students from western states to pay 150% of in-state tuition, a sizable discount from the full rate, according to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education website.
Its replacement, the $7,500 ASU Commitment Scholarship, can be used by nonresident students from all states. According to a University web page, eligibility for the new scholarship is not restricted to certain majors as it was under WUE.
Nikki Ripley, a spokesperson for the University, said in a written statement that the change will make ASU degrees more accessible to students nationwide rather than in western states.
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The transition to the ASU Commitment Scholarship will only impact incoming freshmen in Fall 2026. Current students enrolled under WUE will not be affected, Ripley said.
The number of students utilizing WUE “dropped significantly over the years,” Ripley said, motivating the University to replace the program.
In a written statement, a spokesperson for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, said students receive many benefits from WUE.
“Students from the WICHE region can choose from hundreds of undergraduate programs across the West and pay no more than 150% of the institution’s resident tuition rate, compared to typical non-resident rates that can reach 200-300% of resident tuition,” the spokesperson said.
Because financial aid is generally not an eligibility requirement, WUE helps students regardless of family income, the spokesperson said.
Universities also benefit from the program, the spokesperson stated. The advantages include increased enrollment and maximized capacity for academic programs.
Although the University says the change will expand inclusivity, there remain concerns about whether that will truly happen. Alberto Plantillas, the central regional director for the Arizona Students’ Association and a graduate student studying public policy, said the new scholarship was an effort for ASU to save money.
“That’s a cost-cutting decision that they’re making and it’s very purposeful,” Plantillas said.
Aid is “the last thing you should cut,” Plantillas said, emphasizing the value of WUE for students in the region.
Plantillas highlighted the difference between the 150% rate of tuition and the $7,500 scholarship, which does not automatically increase in proportion to tuition. Inflation and increasing cost of attendance means that $7,500 would decrease in value over time, he said.
“In the long term, it is going to diminish the award,” Plantillas said. “It’s going to dilute it, for sure.”
Tuition at the University has steadily increased over the years to account for inflation and rising costs. Between 2020 and 2010, out-of-state tuition has increased by nearly $9,000, according to data from 2010 to 2020 from the Arizona Board of Regents.
READ MORE: Understanding ASU tuition and why it keeps going up
Data also shows that students from WUE-eligible states will now pay much more using the scholarship than with WUE.
WICHE currently lists undergraduate tuition for students at the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses to be $17,217. On the West Valley and Polytechnic campuses, that price is $15,497.
After subtracting the ASU Commitment Scholarship amount from the base out-of-state tuition, as reported by a University web page, incoming nonresident students can now expect to pay $26,514, a $9,297 increase for Tempe and downtown Phoenix students.
While the ASU Commitment Scholarship can also be stacked with other financial aid, Plantillas said the loss of the 150% rate would take away the guaranteed lower costs.
While some out-of-state students eligible for the scholarship will receive greater aid, Plantillas said the loss of the WUE program would hurt students who would have previously benefited.
“I’m not against a new scholarship, but the one that they’re cutting was really good,” Plantillas said.
Edited by Carsten Oyer, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at mharr200@asu.edu.
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Megan Harris is a Public Service and Public Policy student in her debut semester with the State Press. Megan is also affiliated with the American Red Cross and ASU’s Children’s Equity Project.
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