Millikin will not increase tuition or housing prices for the 2012-2013 academic year. Tuition prices will remain flat for all traditional and evening programs, both undergraduate and graduate.

Citing "intentional cost containment" as the reason for the pricing decision, Millikin President Dr. Harold Jeffcoat noted this as the first step in the university's move toward a sustained pricing effort.

"We are doing whatever we can to stop the trend of yearly tuition increases in higher education and to help families better afford a private education," Jeffcoat says. "While we can't make any promises about the long-term future, we intend to continue holding down prices for as long as possible."

The decision to hold a flat tuition rate is the result of a Millikin study of more than 100 institutions that reduced tuition pricing by more than 10 percent in recent years. Although such drastic tuition cuts often draw media attention, Jeffcoat noted that none of those 100 schools were able to sustain their pricing reductions.

"Many, in fact, have tuition rates even higher today than before the cuts were made," he said. "That's not what we're doing at Millikin. We wanted a sincere systemic change, not a marketing ploy."

"Higher education must take deliberate and educated steps to contain costs for its students," Jeffcoat says. "Millikin's ambition - as we follow in the footsteps of our founder - is to be a private institution for the public good."

Annual tuition for Millikin's full-time undergraduate program is $27,852. Average annual housing rate is $5,000. Tuition for Millikin's PACE evening undergraduate program is $417 per credit hour. Graduate program prices vary by program. Ninety-nine percent of Millikin students receive financial aid totaling more than $36 million, including Millikin scholarships, Illinois MAP money, federal PELL grants and other sources. ?