The state's university system is drastically cutting tuition for out-of-state students pursuing Masters degrees in Business Administration as part of an effort to increase enrollment.
Under a plan approved by the system's board of trustees Wednesday, out-of-state MBA students will see their tuition decline by nearly half beginning in January.
Michael Weber, the dean of the University of Maine Graduate School of Business, says that while enrollment in the MBA program has generally gone up in recent years, only five students this fall came from outside of Maine. He says the new plan could save students as much as $20,000 over the course of a degree. “In today's MBA market, people are looking for high-quality programs that are also really affordable,” he says.
Weber hopes that lowering costs will bring more students with different backgrounds to the school.
"That helps Mainers understand business outside of Maine,” he says. “How does Maine compete in an international environment? That way the students are learning more from just a professor in that type of environment."
Weber says beginning in January, the school will also give a tuition discount for members of any Chamber of Commerce in the state.