Tuition Discounting: Results From the 2024 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study
Live Event: 10/23/2025 at 1:00 PM (EDT)
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In 2024-25, NACUBO’s Tuition Discounting Study (TDS) showed that private, nonprofit colleges and universities continued to significantly discount their published prices for undergraduate students. On average, the tuition discount rate among
participating schools reached 56.3% for first-time, full-time undergraduates and 51.4% for all undergraduates. While rising discount rates potentially make college more affordable for many students and their families, they also could cause even greater financial stress for tuition-dependent private institutions. In addition, changes to student admissions, financial aid, and international visa policies may continue to challenge independent colleges and universities.
It is now more important than ever for chief business officers, chief enrollment officers, and other campus administrators to evaluate their discounting and pricing strategies and the effects they have on net tuition revenue and college affordability.
This webcast provides an overview of the changes in average discount rates during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years and provides more details about the pricing and enrollment strategies private colleges have considered to deal rising student financial need and other factors.
In addition to an overview of the TDS results, this webinar will also provide a summary of NACUBO’s most recent Top 5 Business Issues of 2025, with a special focus on the challenges faced by private nonprofit colleges and universities The panelists will discuss the complex factors that go into new tuition discounting, enrollment, and financial aid strategies, and provide their early assessment of how strategies might need to change due to the policy and financial challenges being faced by many independent colleges.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
After participating in this program you will be able to:
· Review and discuss the most recent trend data on tuition discounting and net tuition revenue.
· Evaluate the strategies chief business officers, chief enrollment officers, trustees, and other campus leaders are considering to resolve the new challenges related to changes in admissions policies and practices, financial aid rules, and potential new legal requirements related to admissions and enrollment policies and practices.
· Understand the relationship between the discount rate, enrollment, and net tuition revenue and learn how to bring balance to each component.
Recording
This webinar will be recorded. Registrants will receive an email when the recording is available.
CPE Available: 1.0 Credits in Finance.
Each individual must register and attend separately to earn credit.
NACUBO is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website www.nasbaregistry.org
Event Information
- Level: Intermediate
- Prerequisites: Minimum 1-2 years of experience as a professional in higher education or a related private industry.
- Advanced Preparation: None
- Delivery Mode: Group internet based
- Field of Study: Finance
- Length: 60 minutes
Steps to Earn CPE Credit
To earn CPE credit, you must attend the webinar live. CPE credit cannot be earned for watching the recording.
After the webinar ends, you will complete the following steps under the Content tab:
- Pass the CPE codeword quiz. Write down the codewords posted in the Zoom chat at random times throughout the webinar and complete the quiz at the end of the webinar.
- Submit the CPE check-out code displayed at the end of the webinar.
- Download your CPE certificate.
You have until 5:00 pm Eastern Time on October 24, 2025, to complete these three steps or to report technology issues with this site to online@nacubo.org.
For more detailed instructions, review the CPE Instructions page.
Ken Redd
Senior Director, Research and Policy Analysis
NACUBO
Kenneth E. Redd is senior director, research and policy analysis for NACUBO. At NACUBO, Redd directs the annual NACUBO-TIAA Study of Endowments, the NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study, and other studies on higher education finance issues.
In addition to his work at NACUBO, Redd also serves on the board of trustees for the Meadville Lombard School of Theology in Chicago, IL, and is a member of the board of directors for the Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE).
Redd has a master’s degree in public affairs from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.
Kathleen Masterson
Assistant Director, Research and Policy Analysis
NACUBO
Kathleen Masterson is assistant director of research and policy analysis at NACUBO, where she helps manage and analyze the organization’s various surveys and research projects. Prior to joining NACUBO, Masterson evaluated state education funding at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. She has a master’s degree in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and earned her bachelor’s degree from The College of William and Mary.
Brad Reeder
AVP for Financial Services
Berry College
Serves as the AVP for Financial Services at Berry College, where he oversees key financial operations including budget management and strategic resource allocation. With more than a dozen years of experience in public accounting prior to transitioning into higher education administration nearly 14 years ago, Brad brings a strong track record of fiscal stewardship and alignment with institutional priorities. His role at Berry College—a distinctive residential campus spanning 27,000 acres and home to diverse academic, agricultural, and community initiatives—places him at the intersection of financial leadership and operational innovation. Supporting a student body of approximately 2,250 undergraduates and 230 graduate students, Brad contributes to the college’s mission by ensuring responsible financial practices that support both day-to-day operations and long-term strategic goals.
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