Beginning Fall 2016, Missouri Southern will expand its Lion Pride Tuition Discount program to attract students from a wide-ranging area surrounding its campus. The Lion Pride program offers in-state tuition to students from outside the state of Missouri. The Program currently allows students from Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and much of Illinois to access the cheaper rate and beginning next year will expand to include Iowa, Tennessee, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Texas.

“It’s always important to have a diverse student body and spreading our boundaries out a little bit further gives us a real vibrant and robust campus and community,” said University President Alan Marble.

The current in-state tuition rate for undergraduate students at Missouri Southern is $177.03 per credit hour while the out-of-state undergraduate pays double that amount. The Lion Pride discount will apply to all students from covered states, including current students as well as future ones.

“Our goal for the first year is attract 28 new students from the expanded area,” said Derek Skaggs, director of Admissions. Skaggs said the University must reach that mark or risk losing revenue by offering the lower rate.

The expanded Lion Pride discount was instituted, in part, to raise revenue for the University due to drastic cuts in state funding. In the past, Universities would reserve in-state tuition exclusively for students who, along with their parents, paid taxes in that state which helped to fund the University.

“It was more critical when the state payed 75 or 80 percent, now that they pay 40 or 42 percent it becomes more critical that we have tuition dollars,” said Marble.

“Most universities across the nation have transformed from state-supported to state-assisted,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Paula Carson. “When the funding model changes, so must your tactics to maintain your vitality. Universities must become more entrepreneurial and have a better grasp of their service markets. At the same time, we want to ensure we grow to a level that does not overly strain our living and learning infrastructure and does not jeopardize our high-touch, personal approach to instruction and learning.”

The University hopes to attract these students not only through the lower tuition costs but also the intangibles that college life at Missouri Southern offers.

“We offer a wonderful campus experience, dedicated, passionate and caring faculty, and a demonstrated quality education,” said Carson. “Also a geographic area, unique in ways I am not even sure locals appreciate enough.”