Mississippi Valley State University students will all be eligible to pay in-state tuition costs, after the state College Board recently approved the university as the second university in the state to waive out-of-state rates to help boost enrollment at the school. MVSU boasts one of the lowest tuition rates in the state, but with dramatic cuts in state funding and MVSU out-of-state students comprising just over 300 of the university’s total enrollment of 2,500, the university says that it will benefit from the cost-cutting effort.

“Our resident tuition, if you compare it to resident tuition in other states, is a bargain,” (Acting MVSU President Alfred) Rankins said Thursday before the board voted.

Valley says it can accommodate more students without additional costs, and that it can recoup lost money if it attracts another 110 students. The school estimates it will not only offset the loss but gain $4.5 million in new tuition revenue by 2018, with a target of adding 215 additional non-resident students by then.

Mississippi Valley State University