The We Promise Campaign, launched Oct. 1, aims to bring awareness to the Fixed Tuition Program and the NC Promise Tuition Plan, created by the UNC System and passed by North Carolina legislature in 2016. Affecting all 16 UNC System institutions, the We Promise Campaign aims to make college more affordable and accessible.
Jason Tyson, director of media relations for the UNC System, said that the We Promise Campaign was launched to raise awareness about the two parts.
The first part, affecting all institutions in the UNC System including NC State, is the Fixed Tuition Program.
“The [Fixed Tuition Program] affects the 16 institutions of higher education in the UNC System and that is fixed tuition, which guarantees that your tuition will remain the same for all four years that you’re in college,” Tyson said. “They are putting a freeze on tuition for all four years you’re at college, and that speaks to the affordability part of it, encouraging students to pursuing higher education, knowing that the tuition part of it won’t change.”
The second part, Tyson said, only applies to three schools in the UNC System, and has been used to increase enrollment.
“The second part of We Promise is NC Promise,” Tyson said. “NC Promise is the program where it is $500 a semester for in-state tuition at three of our institutions — Elizabeth City State University, UNC Pembroke, and Western Carolina University — and $2500 for out-of-state. Enrollment is up at all three universities participating.”
Maria Brown, director of the NC State University Cashier’s Office, said that the tuition plan allows students to pay the state set tuition when they were first years throughout their college career.
“As it applies to NC State, [the We Promise Campaign] is a fixed tuition plan,” Brown said. “For example, if you started in 2016, whatever the state set the tuition at when you were a freshman, that is what you will pay for the next four years, or eight semesters.”
According to Tyson, the fact that legislature passed the We Promise Campaign shows how much the state cares about its institutions of higher education.
“The Communications Office at the UNC System Office at Chapel Hill produced the campaign,” Tyson said. “Legislature mandated it and passed it in 2016. It is a $51 million buy-in by North Carolina legislature, so they are invested in this. [The We Promise Campaign] speaks to the goals at the UNC System: affordability, access, and student success. We wanted to increase awareness of these programs, and a campaign will help us reach a larger audience. We are trying to create a college-going culture.”
While it may sound straightforward, Brown said that a lot went into the application of the We Promise Campaign at NC State.
“For example, not everyone is an incoming freshman,” Brown said. “What happens if you have a fifth-year program? We have a Bachelor of Architecture fifth year, so we had to get special arrangements for them because it is a five-year program. What happens if a student co-ops? It is technically a break, but we don’t consider it a break in enrollment.”
The effect of fixed tuition at NC State can make a big difference in terms of college affordability, Brown said.
“For many [students], they’ll be repaying these loans for a long time,” Brown said. “From 2012 to 2013, tuition went up about $300. It held steady in 2014, went up a couple hundred dollars in 2015, 2016, and then $100 in 2017, so you are talking about $100 a semester or $50 a semester. For students that are on financial aid, the more tuition rises, the more tuition aid money has to go into it. Lower tuition is never a bad thing, as long as we can maintain the level of excellence at NC State.”
Brown thinks that the fixed tuition program has been a good thing for NC State so far and hopes that it will remain in place for as long as it as it is useful to students.
“I’ve worked at NC State for 17 years and what I’ve learned is that some things that [NC legislature], puts in place never ever change, and I’ve also learned that sometimes what you think ‘That’s working great,’ is what they get rid of,” Brown said.
Tyson said he expects NC State students to feel the benefits of the We Promise Campaign and notice its importance quickly.
“NC State students can be assured that their tuition will not go up and that is not something you can get at other universities,” Tyson said. “[Students] should care about their financial situation. NC State draws from students all over North Carolina, and they may have family members that are considering going to college and they can say ‘Here are these two programs that you might want to take advantage of.’ N.C. students will definitely feel the impact.”
