The REAL elephant in the room…

[LordMcBuckethead]

UPig has grown from less than 18k in 2005 to almost 31k this year. They lure a ton of Texas kids with out of state waiver programs. There is also a lot of population and job opportunities => Money in the area.

I never understood the need for out of state tuition, unless you college is just overbooked. But even then, the university has to select them to actually attend the school. Seems like it is completely dumb.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I never understood the need for out of state tuition, unless you college is just overbooked. But even then, the university has to select them to actually attend the school. Seems like it is completely dumb.

I wonder how much money we'd actually lose if we just eliminated it across the board? That would attract some students. I'd be interested in those figures.

We would, of course, probably have to start putting the screws to our in-state students. But if what @Perd Hapley said is true, that may be a viable solution. People would ultimately end up bltching though, because most folks can't see the big picture regarding what is best for MSU.

 

[WilCoDawg]

I wonder how much money we'd actually lose if we just eliminated it across the board? That would attract some students. I'd be interested in those figures.

We would, of course, probably have to start putting the screws to our in-state students. But if what @Perd Hapley said is true, that may be a viable solution. People would ultimately end up bltching though, because most folks can't see the big picture regarding what is best for MSU.

This is one of the things OM is doing for kids here in Nashville. Waive that fee and then set them up with all sorts of scholarships.

 

[Mr. Cook]

I never understood the need for out of state tuition, unless you college is just overbooked. But even then, the university has to select them to actually attend the school. Seems like it is completely dumb.

Good question. Originally, my understanding is that this was the “tax” that was not paid by not being an in state resident (theoretically, residents have funded their portion through state income tax over time)

This is one of the things OM is doing for kids here in Nashville. Waive that fee and then set them up with all sorts of scholarships.

I thought states contiguous to Mississippi all had OOT waivers. Has that changed?

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I thought states contiguous to Mississippi all had OOT waivers. Has that changed?

I used to think too but evidently it’s not. I’m not sure it ever was, but it may have been, years ago. There was a page on the website that said something like half off of alumni or something. But it’s nowhere near what our competitors are doing.

ETA: I did hear that it was relatively easy for alumni to get OOT waived, but who really wants to 17 with haggling like you’re buying a used car? It’s like state tax, yeah we have decreased it, but it’s still there so you don’t get the publicity that the tax free states get.

Mississippi can just boggle the mind at times.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

It’s not that nobody cares. It’s beyond dispute that the whole state and everything in it would benefit from the capital city not being a complete cesspool of poverty, incompetence, and corruption.

But the issue is that Mississippi State University has zero control over Jackson’s well-being. I would argue very strongly that even the city’s elected officials and other wealthy and influential residents have zero control over it as well. As a city, its in a socioeconomic death spiral that is unrecoverable. But even if it could be saved, its not going to be saved by the policies, procedures, and general influence of a university that is 120 miles away.

MSU can only focus on what it can control. How it generates funding, how it allocates scholarships and incentives to applicants, what types of students and families it aggressively pursues for enrollment, how it balances in-state and out of state enrollment, etc.

One thing to add here is that State may not be able to do much in Jackson itself since it doesn’t have a campus (the exception being the 5th year Architecture program).

The IHLs are pretty territorial about their space— and the ones who can do something about Jackson are JSU & Ole Miss since both have campuses in Jackson and offer classes in the Metro Jackson area.

State focuses on Meridian because it has a campus there and it’s made strides in improving the city thanks in large part to the properties it has and its course offerings.

 

[Maroon Eagle]

They're affiliated, but unless something has changed, there's nothing particularly methodist about the environment there. If anything, when I was college age, they seemed to lean into the godless heathen liberal arts college atmosphere.

Here’s the deal with the Millsaps students

They’re taught to be critical thinkers and to be servant leaders much like…

 

[PhiDawg]

They literally paid sophomores to give up their dorm this year. We need to add some dorms because it’s getting out of hand more and more.

They are letting in anyone with a pulse. Let them have TX’s outcasts. We are doing fine.

 

[WilCoDawg]

I thought states contiguous to Mississippi all had OOT waivers. Has that changed?

From what kids and parents are telling me, MSU isn’t waiving the OOS. OM is and then they provide all sorts of financial incentive.
eta clarity.

 

[mstateglfr]

I never understood the need for out of state tuition, unless you college is just overbooked. But even then, the university has to select them to actually attend the school. Seems like it is completely dumb.

As mentioned, the idea was that in-state students would pay less because their families have paid 18 years of state taxes, which in part help fun that state's higher education system.
That is all well and good if a state properly funds its higher education system. Unfortunately, the last 15 years has seen state legislatures across the country, continually under fund and reduce funding for their public higher education systems.
What we see now was predicted in the mid 2000s around the financial crisis when many states, at least mine and around me, decided to tighten the belt by focusing heavily on public education funding reductions. Then when you add in the recent widespread attack on higher education where state legislators claim all sorts of wild stuff and attack professors, programs, and university leadership at their statepublic colleges and universities, it all has only further escalated the funding issue.

 

[NWADawg]

I never understood the need for out of state tuition, unless you college is just overbooked. But even then, the university has to select them to actually attend the school. Seems like it is completely dumb.

I understand the philosophy of out of state and didn't complain about having to pay it. I (me or my family) didn't pay into any of the state tax funds that help support the university for the 1st 18 years of my life but wanted to come reap the benefit of those tax dollars at State. So, I had to pay a little extra to make up for it.

I actually also think the same principle should be applied to people wanting to cross our border. Make an access point(s) that allow folks to come in, get finger prints/facial scans, issue a work ID, and even have recruiters/companies there that are needing labor. They get to receive same benefits, other than voting, that Americans get. But, those folks pay a ~5% "out of country" tax in addition to all regular taxes for first 5 years to make up for all of the tax dollars they haven't been contributing before. If you screw up, you go back forever. Climb a fence-get shot.

 

[jdbulldog]

…or why NIL ain’t the number one issue affecting MSU…

Many state universities are doing well.

And those that do well have great locations.

Those that don’t are in states with stagnant populations — such as West Virginia University and the University of Nebraska.

Nebraska’s population of college-bound students is anticipated to decline by 15 percent by the end of the decade; West Virginia’s, 7.5 percent.

“Since most college students attend an institution within 50 miles of their home, regional student populations are critical.”

All this is from this article:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/most-public-flagships-are-booming-why-are-a-handful-flailing

What’s 50 miles from MSU you may ask?

View attachment 482722

Back to that Chronicle article…

“In-state students who don’t get into the increasingly competitive University of Texas at Austin, University of Georgia, or Georgia Institute of Technology have helped fuel the boom at flagships in neighboring states…”

In Fall 2022, Ole Miss had 2,169 students from the above states. State had 1,241. 49.9 percent of Ole Miss’s students are non-residents; State’s, 36.8 percent. This paragraph’s data is from

http://www.mississippi.edu/research/downloads/2022enrollmentbook.pdf (check out page 16)

State had better be glad they recruit Alabama well.

Does MSU still require Freshman students to live in campus housing? If so, has that policy ever been challenged? Seems like a student has a right to live wherever they want…

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Schools can choose where they want to waive OOS tuition, it doesn't have to be all OOS students. South Alabama waives it for the coast of MS.

 

[johnson86-1]

Does MSU still require Freshman students to live in campus housing? If so, has that policy ever been challenged? Seems like a student has a right to live wherever they want…

They can live where they want. But they have to pay for the dorm whether they use it or not.

I think that's a bad policy. I think living in the dorm is a good experience for most students and should be encouraged, but don't need to be coercive. Not sure if it's still as easy to get exempt, but you used to could get an exemption if you lived within a reasonable commuting distance or if you family bought, rather than rented, a place for you.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

2023 -2024 Scholarship Sheet for Freshman Out-of-State Residents (msstate.edu)

Looks like we are counting on the smart out of state students to get their OOS waived and pay as much as an instate student with no scholarships. Kind of a weird, tiered system with no real marketability. I'm sure there is some logic behind, at least I hope.

 

[mstateglfr]

2023 -2024 Scholarship Sheet for Freshman Out-of-State Residents (msstate.edu)

Looks like we are counting on the smart out of state students to get their OOS waived and pay as much as an instate student with no scholarships. Kind of a weird, tiered system with no real marketability. I'm sure there is some logic behind, at least I hope.

Yes, this is MSU's current merit funding matrix. The qualifications and incentives change year to year- last year's was super complex and not nearly as easily readable as this one.
Your comment about the lack of marketability gets to my comments made yesterday- it could be really appealing to some students because they could know ahead of time what they would pay and compare it to their in-state options. No idea if it is being pushed my MSU though.

Many other state schools have this same thing- Missouri S&T's matrix is below.

 

[WrightGuy821]

Generally speaking, 200 miles is the range of students going to college, but State does a poor job of recruiting OOS. We really need to ease the costs and make it easier for those kids. Give OOS kids incentive to come here. Stop clinging to this idea that it's all about MS. Start being more competitive with scholarship money (I know...endowment).

It's crazy that our out of state numbers are low, considering our out of country numbers are pretty high. Our international institute is real good