Tuition fee at Friedensau Adventist University

Ideas about tuition fees at Friedensau Adventist University (FAU)

I want to test a new kind of decision making at FAU. I invite all lecturers and students to give their ideas and opinions to this topic. So far we have no results, but only ideas of the Chancellor. The Blog will be open by January 20, 2011. In the beginning of February the Board of FAU will discuss the developments of the tuition fees. I will bring in the ideas presented by you in the discussion section of this Blog.

Explanation: FAU charges tuition fees, it doesn’t get subsidies from the state. This income covers the whole budget to 9,3 %. If adding the fees for rent and food, the coverage is about 16,3 %.At other Adventist universities this coverage is about 70 - 80 %. This means, that FAU depends on subsidies of the Euro Africa Divison of the SDA Church (EUD) to a big extent. If considered other incomes (guest house, rents, etc.), the subsidy of EUD is about 60 %. Subsidies are donations and tithe from members of the Church in Germany and from the area of Euro-Africa-Division. In addition, the economic efficiency of FAU is weak.

Idea: The Chancellor is thinking about a medium-term (4 years) or a long-term (10 years) strategy to increase the tuition fees by about 50 % (see document PDF BlogTuitionFee1). It is the aim to reach the tuition fees of other western European SDA Colleges (see document).

Advantage: If the number of students will not decrease in case of the increase of tuition fees, the amount of coverage through tuition fees will rise significantly, and will get more opportunities. The dependance from subsidies will be reduced. So the future of FAU will be ensured for a long term.

Disadvantage: Because of the increase of tuition fees, it could be that the number of students will decrease.

The challenge is to improve the income in the area of tuition fees through alignment to the fees of other SDA schools in Europe, and simultaneously create a scholarship system, so that all students can carry the fees.

Other aspects can be: Different fees for B.A. and M.A., different fees for different studies, change of the scholarship system, offer of free places at FAU.

I am thankful for constructive ideas!
Roland Nickel
I want to test a new kind of decision making at FAU. I invite all lecturers and students to give their ideas and opinions to this topic. So far we have no results, but only ideas of the Chancellor. The Blog will be open by January 20, 2011. In the beginning of February the Board of FAU will discuss the developments of the tuition fees. I will bring in the ideas presented by you in the discussion section of this Blog.