Until a few years ago, two students in the region, living near each other but on opposite sides of the state border, might face a dilemma: The one living in Tennessee could attend East Tennessee State University and pay in-state tuition, while a friend residing a short distance away on the other side of the state line would need to travel farther away to attend a school in that state or face higher out-of-state tuition at ETSU.
In 2006, a border county waiver was approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents that alleviated some of those difficulties by allowing in-state tuition rates for students from Lee, Scott and Washington counties in Virginia and from North Carolina’s Avery, Madison, Mitchell, Watauga and Yancey counties. This year, Ashe and Haywood counties have been added to the North Carolina list, effective for the summer of 2008.
The need for such a waiver and the benefits derived are sizeable.
Making higher education readily available strengthens the region’s workforce. Nationally, statistics show that 24.4 percent of the population possesses a bachelor’s or higher degree on average.
But, in those counties of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Virginia, located within 75 miles of ETSU, the average ranges from 8.8 percent in Kentucky to 15.6 percent in North Carolina.
This is a clear indication that the region could benefit from making higher education more accessible.
After the waiver was instituted, border county student enrollment at ETSU increased by 136 percent to 562 students in 2007.
“ETSU has a strong commitment to the region’s people. We are proud that significant enrollment of these students from border counties in Virginia and North Carolina provides further evidence of this regional university’s dedicated efforts on behalf of that commitment,” said Dr. Bert Bach, ETSU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
He continued, “This is an excellent example of an initiative that is beneficial to students, to ETSU, and to the region.
“This program is a win-win situation in that students from the border counties have an opportunity to attend a quality institution that offers access to many diverse programs of study at an affordable rate while the waiver policy has a demonstrated positive economic impact on the university and the state of Tennessee.”
ETSU realized a 62 percent increase in revenue from border county students as more of those enrolling have found ETSU an affordable option. This includes maintenance and fee revenue, housing and meal plans for a total of $1.8 million in 2007.
The state economy also benefits from border county student enrollment. This encompasses the purchases of goods and services from local suppliers, jobs created, wages, salaries, spending by firms in the area to provide goods and services required to meet the demands of this new ETSU population, and spending within the region resulting from increases in household income of employees of local firms.
During 2006 and 2007, these factors contributed an estimated $23.2 million to Tennessee’s economy and resulted in the creation of 143 jobs.
To be considered for the in-state rate, students must apply and be fully admitted to ETSU. In addition, they must meet the academic standards and file the “Request for In-State Tuition” form, available from the undergraduate or graduate admissions offices or on their Web sites, www.etsu.edu/admissions or www.etsu.edu/gradstud.
For more information, call Dr. Ramona Milhorn Williams, ETSU’s interim vice provost for Enrollment Services, at 439-4213 or Dr. Cecilia McIntosh, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, at 439-4221.

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