Over $9,000 available for Eligible Students
Eligible Students Could Save Over $9,000 in College Tuition Next Year
Academic Common Market Helps Families Statewide Afford College
Wilmington, Del.–March 23, 2005 Students participating in the Academic Common Market (ACM) saved more than $9,000 on average in tuition costs last year. To receive ACM tuition savings, Delaware residents must be accepted to an eligible program of study not offered at a public college or university in Delaware.
The ACM is a tuition savings agreement between the 16 member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Public colleges in SREB states that elect to participate in the ACM select the programs of study they will offer. Both baccalaureate and graduate-level programs are offered in the ACM with more than 130 public colleges participating.
The participating states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Three states, Florida, North Carolina and Texas, offer graduate-level programs only.
Maureen Laffey, Director of the Delaware Higher Education Commission which administers the program for Delaware residents, has watched it grow firsthand since Delaware joined SREB in 1998. “We talk to some very happy students and parents. Undergraduates who participate in the ACM for all four years could save over $35,000.”
ACM students last year were enrolled in undergraduate programs in architecture, dance, dental hygiene, emergency health services, filmmaking, fire protection engineering, forest resource management,hearing and speech sciences, marine science, and other majors not offered at either public college in Delaware. Graduate students in library and information science, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology also received ACM tuition savings.
“The Academic Common Market is a wonderful program that can help Delaware students pursue post-secondary education goals that might not be attainable without the financial relief the ACM provides,”stated Education Secretary Valerie A. Woodruff. “I am pleased that this partnership with SREB and the Academic Common Market can help many of our college-bound students with financial opportunitiest o pursue their academic dreams.”
In addition to campus-based programs, the ACM began offering distance learning opportunities through the ACM/Electronic Campus several years ago. There are currently four undergraduate and 13 graduate-level degree programs available to Delaware residents. Adult students in fields such as dental hygiene, emergency management, and library science can complete needed coursework, receive the ACM tuition savings, and remain employed in their current job.
SREB also maintains the Electronic Campus website (www.electroniccampus.org), which is a comprehensive source for information about higher education opportunities in the South for both traditional campus study and e-learning. A number of courses and programs are offered at the same rate for in-state and out-of-state students.
SREB is the nation’s first interstate compact for education. Founded in 1948 by southern leaders in business, education and government,SREB works to improve every aspect of education from early childhood to doctoral degrees and beyond. The ACM has helped over 36,000 students in SREB states since 1974.
Students and parents are encouraged to learn more about the ACM by contacting the Delaware Higher Education Commission at 302-577-5240 or 800-292-7935 (toll-free outside New Castle County).The application and a list of eligible programs are available online at http://www.doe.k12.de.us/high-ed/.
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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education
for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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