RIPON (NBC 26) — Ripon College is rolling out a new tuition commitment aimed at financially helping students, as roughly half of all college graduates in the U.S graduate with some form of debt.
Currently, it costs $54,500 dollars in tuition per year to attend the college.
Keeping costs in mind, the college recently announced an update to their program called "The Ripon Commitment." Tuition will be free for any interested student nationwide whose family makes less than $100,000 dollars, tuition will be free.
For those whose families make more than $100,000 their tuition will be $12,416 a year, which matches the annual tuition fees for in-state students at UW-Madison.
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College president Victoria Folse says getting students through college without taking on large amounts of debt is important.
"It's a priority for us to create a pathway for students to attend Ripon College," Folse said.
One thing The Ripon Commitment doesn't cover is room and board.
Folse says around 98 percent of all students at the college live on campus.
However, Lynn Strong is a sophomore who is part of the two percent that don't live on campus. She says she would be eligible for free tuition with her lower household income, but not living on campus disqualifies her.
"You still have to pay for room and board," Strong said. "Which I understand, but it did turn out to be more expensive than living off campus for me."
Several other students on campus voiced their support about the financial commitment by the college.
And they say that they are happy that students can focus more on school and less on struggling to make ends meet to attend college.
The updated Ripon Commitment will be available for new students as well as transfer students starting in the fall of 2027.
