TUITION WAIVER PLANS FOR OLDER AMERICANS IN POSTSECONDARY PUBLIC EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This article reports the results of a national survey of tuition waiver plans for older Americans in American postsecondary public education institutions designed to answer four questions. Those questions are: (1) Which states have made legal provisions for either free or reduced tuitions for older adults? (2) In which states have state higher education systems adopted tuition waiver policies for older adults? (3) In which states have individual public postsecondary education institutions adopted tuition waiver policies? (4) What are the basic provisions of the laws and policies adopted concerning tuition waiver policies? The data generated by the survey reveal that some kind of tuition waiver provision has been made in public higher education institutions in at least 43 states and the District of Columbia. The exact provisions of the tuition waiver programs vary among the several states. In most states the reduced or waived tuition option is available only on a space available basis. In most states where...