Reversing the common trend of college costs, Spring Hill College in Mobile has cut tuition in half and reduced room and board charges beginning next year.
Tuition will drop almost 50% from about $42,000 in 2020 to $21,100 in the fall of 2021. Room and board rates will drop by more than $3,200.
“This price reduction moves Spring Hill College from having the highest direct costs in Alabama to among the most affordable schools in the region,” the college said in announcing the change.
“Lowering our costs does not mean lessening the distinction of a Spring Hill degree,” said Spring Hill President E. Joseph Lee. “As our world continues to change, it is part of our mission and vision as Spring Hill College to help shape the kind of education that will address the new opportunities and challenges students will face.”
“The price reset is being done from a position of strength,” the college says. While cutting costs, the college is adding programs — two in the fall of 2021 and at least two more per year for the next three years. In addition, it has earned national grants and recognition from publications including Forbes.
“We want students from not only our region but also across the country to know that Spring Hill College can be a choice for them,” Lee added. “That we are a desirable, affordable education for students everywhere — one that not only prepares students for real-world professions but also one that won’t leave them with unnecessary debt after they graduate.”
The change will also help create more price transparency for current students, the college says.
Spring Hill is Alabama’s oldest college, founded in 1830 by Michael Portier, Mobile’s first Catholic bishop. It is the oldest Catholic college in the Southeast, the third oldest Jesuit College and the fifth oldest Catholic college in the U.S.
