University Leaders Preparing for ‘Block’ Tuition

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Larry Robinson, interim president of Florida A&M University, said there are benefits to a block tuition plan, but warned that it could hurt overly ambitious students.

“You don’t want to encourage students who might otherwise take a reasonable number of hours where they can succeed to bite off a little more than they can chew,” he said.

Rather than reaping financial benefits, students who struggle with a class overload could end up being penalized by having to repeat classes or pay extra charges by ending up with “excess hours,” Robinson said.

“Those are some of things you have to safeguard against,” Robinson said.

John Hitt, president of the University of Central Florida — the system’s largest school, with 64,000 students — also struck a note of caution on issues such as part-time students and the financial impact caused by a loss of tuition.

“I don’t think block tuition has historically benefited urban universities particularly well, but I’m confident whatever the Legislature adopts, we’ll make it work,” he said.