Zero Tuition Summer Pricing - The University of Tulsa
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Zero Tuition Summer Pricing

Research shows that college students who complete 15 credits per semester during the first two years of studies are more likely to graduate with a baccalaureate degree in four to six years than students who do not. To graduate in four years, a student needs to complete at least 30 credits by the end of their second semester, 60 credits by the end of their fourth semester, etc. Challenges occur that can make it difficult to achieve these crucial 30-credit-hour milestones every year. TU’s summer pricing policy is designed to help students persist to the point of graduation. This is accomplished by providing zero tuition pricing for qualifying first- and second-year students.

Please note: Zero tuition credits used to enroll in a course cannot be reassigned once a course begins. Students who drop a zero-tuition course after it begins (i.e., after day 1 of the course) are considered to have used those zero-tuition credit hours and will incur a fee of $100 for each class that is dropped after day 1 of the course during either summer session.

Criteria for qualification in the program

A student must meet the following criteria to qualify for the Zero Tuition Summer Pricing Policy. A qualifying student:

  1. Entered TU as a first-time undergraduate freshman (i.e., non-transfer) in either Fall 2022 or Fall 2023.
  2. Remained enrolled full-time (i.e., in at least 12 credits) during all fall and spring semesters at TU.
  3. Must complete (with a grade of C or better) half of all of the classes they attempted each semester.  Students who withdraw from or fail half of their classes will not be eligible for the program.

Calculation used to determine the eligible credit hours in the program

If a student meets the Criteria for Qualification in the Zero Tuition Summer Pricing Policy program, the following computation is used to determine the number of credit hours the student is eligible to take through the program during the Summer term.

  1. Eligible credit hours are based on credits earned at TU, including delayed proficiency credit, as well as credits completed through International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, and transfer credits from another accredited institution (i.e., credits earned through concurrent enrollment while in high school).  All forms of credit are included in the calculations below.
  2. Eligible credit hours are not based on the cumulative number of credit hours completed by the end of the Spring semester.

Fall 2023 entrants

Qualifying Fall 2023 entrants will be allowed to take up to 9 credits as needed to accumulate a total of 30 credits based on the following computation: 30 – [credits completed Summer 2023 + Fall 2023 + credits enrolled spring 2024 as of 5 p.m. on March 29, 2024 (the last day to withdraw from a class)].

Example: # eligible credits = 30 – (0 SU23 + 13 FA23 + 14 SP24)

# eligible credits = 3 credits, or one course

Fall 2022 entrants

Qualifying Fall 2022 entrants will be allowed to take up to 9 credits as needed to accumulate a total of 60 credits based on the following computation: 60 – [credits completed Summer 2022 + Fall 2022 + Spring 2023 + Summer 2023 + Fall 2023 + credits enrolled Spring 2024 as of 5 p.m. on March 29, 2024 (the last day to withdraw from a class)].

Example: # eligible credits = 60 – (0 SU22 + 13 FA22 + 14 SP23 + 3 SU23 + 15 FA23 + 12 SP24)

# eligible credits = 3 credits, or one course

Qualifying students will receive an email confirming their eligibility to participate in the program prior to summer school starting.

Additional information and conditions

  • Grades of Incomplete (I) and D will be included in the 30/60 credit-hour calculations.
  • Courses covered by this policy include undergraduate-level courses offered by TU (on-campus and online) taken by undergraduate students. Internships taken for credit are typically completed by upperclassmen; as such, internships will be billed at the full tuition rate, but not through the zero tuition policy.
  • Courses not affected by this policy include postgraduate, law and study abroad.
  • Charges for a course will not be split between zero tuition and the full tuition rate. For example, a student with 58 credits would be eligible to take a 3-hour course at zero tuition; they will not be billed for the 1-hour “overage” that extends beyond the 60 credit calculation.
  • Academic policies apply regardless of the number of zero tuition credits for which a student may be eligible. For example, conditions of academic probation dictate the number of credits a student can take during the summer. In addition, students who are dismissed after Spring 2024 will not be eligible to take classes through this program.
  • Unused zero tuition credits are not transferable to past or future semesters and cannot be redeemed for cash or credit.
  • Transfer students and students who start in the spring semester are not eligible for the zero tuition program.

Billing

  • E-statements are typically issued prior to the end of the spring semester, so qualifying students who enroll in Summer 2024 classes during April will receive a bill that includes summer tuition. A credit will be posted to the qualifying student’s account to reduce tuition charges for the courses eligible for zero tuition.  E-statements will be corrected to remove eligible zero tuition charges prior to the start of the summer session.
  • Housing charges are not included in the Zero Tuition Summer Pricing Policy.

Full Tuition Summer Pricing Policy

  • Undergraduate students who do not meet the qualifications of the zero tuition summer pricing option will be charged the full tuition summer rate.
  • First-year and second-year students who wish to take credits more than those that qualify for zero tuition will be charged the full tuition summer rate.
  • Undergraduate-level students from other colleges/universities who are taking courses during the summer to transfer to another institution will be charged the full tuition summer rate.
  • High school students seeking college credit will be charged the full tuition summer rate.
  • Incoming freshmen for the 2024-25 academic year who wish to take summer classes in advance of the Fall 2024 semester will be charged the full tuition summer rate.

The Zero Tuition Summer Pricing policy was piloted during the 2018 summer term. Continuation of this program, or any version of this program in following years, will be dependent upon numerous factors. The university does not guarantee that every course that a student may want to take will be offered.

​Qualifying students will receive an email confirming their eligibility to participate in the program prior to the beginning of summer school. For more information about the program, please contact either Sheila Givens (sheila-givens@utulsa.edu) or Matt Haswell (matthew-haswell@utulsa.edu) after April 5, 2024.