SYS 130 Appendix C: Principles for Pricing Distance Education Credit Courses, Degree and Certificate Programs
SYS 130 Appendix C: Principles for Pricing Distance Education Credit Courses, Degree and Certificate Programs
Access for Wisconsin residents to undergraduate and graduate education through distance education courses does not have to be provided solely on a cost-recovery basis and can be supported by GPR/Fee funds.
Academic and student support services for distance education courses should adhere to systemwide standards to assure high quality distance education programming.
UW Extended Campus and UW institutions will identify distance education costs (such as instruction, development, support services, electronic delivery, and administrative overhead) using a transparent methodology. Costs may be calculated at the course or program level.
Pricing distance education courses and programs should take into account fixed and variable costs, future enrollments, and frequency of distance education offerings. Prices may be charged at the course or program level.
UW Extended Campus and UW institutions may choose to increase or decrease the price charged for distance education courses and programs to take advantage of market and access opportunities, subject to SYS 130 Appendix B: Service-Based Pricing Guidelines and Procedures.
Tuition for all students taking distance education courses will be charged outside the credit plateau, i.e., each distance education credit would be charged at the per credit rate. However, institutions will have the flexibility to waive this principle and charge within the plateau for their own students.
For distance education programs charging tuition subject to existing tuition policy, there is no change to current policy (UW System Administrative Policy 805 (SYS 805), Tuition and Fee Policies for Credit Instruction) which allows institutions to waive segregated fees for students enrolled exclusively in courses held off-campus. For distance education programs subject to service-based pricing, UW Extended Campus and UW institutions should consider a number of factors when determining if segregated fees are appropriate including student input, the benefits received by off-campus students, and whether the price charged will be a disincentive for students to register for distance education courses.
UW Extended Campus and UW institutions will be held accountable for their distance education pricing and cost analyses (consistent with the above principles) by keeping records demonstrating the use of a transparent methodology.
These principles do not pertain to non-credit professional and continuing education courses and programs. Existing institutional and system policies are sufficient for determining costs and setting prices (see Continuing Education Fee Policy).
