LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven University has informed students in the Physician Assistant Program that their tuition costs will increase as the result of a new graduate tuition policy implemented by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The new PASSHE policy, approved by the Board of Governors at their January meeting, is to charge graduate tuition on a per-credit basis.

Full-time graduate study is 9 hours per semester. The previous LHU policy was not to charge any incremental graduate tuition for credits 10 through 15 in a given semester.

The new per-credit policy will have a significant impact on Physician Assistant (PA) students, who take from 12 to 19 credit hours a semester. Incoming PA students were notified of the new PASSHE policy in a letter from Professor Walt Eisenhauer, Director of the Physician Assistant Program. Professor Eisenhauer notified current PA students via email.

Should the new policy be fully implemented this year, it could represent a 40% - 50% increase in the total cost of the program. The LHU administration is considering proposals to moderate the increase. Any proposal will require approval from the PASSHE Chancellor, Dr. John C. Cavanaugh.

Professor Eisenhauer explained that his correspondence to accepted and continuing PA students demonstrates the university’s desire to be as open and transparent as possible, even though the exact amount of the cost changes is not yet known. “We want our students to have as much information as we can provide so that they can make their best, informed decision about where to attend PA school,” he said. In his letter, he stated that “for students who are residents of Pennsylvania, LHU’s PA Program will remain the best value in the state.” “Non-Pennsylvania students,” his letter said, “will be affected more dramatically by these changes.”

Accepted PA students who change their minds about continuing their studies at Lock Haven University will receive a full refund of their deposit if they notify the university by March 15 of their decision to withdraw.

The official Cost of Attendance for graduate school at Lock Haven University will be adjusted to reflect the price changes. Doing so will enable students to receive additional financial aid in the form of Federal Stafford and Graduate PLUS Loans. These loans are available to all degree-seeking graduate students regardless of major.

Most students in other graduate programs will see no difference in the pricing structure for tuition. According to Dr. James Theeuwes, Director of Financial Services, most LHU graduate students take 6 credit hours a semester.