Hitt also said if the block tuition plan dramatically increases the number of students seeking additional classes, it could stretch the classroom space on his campus.
“You don’t have that much empty space. We would have some capacity problems,” Hitt said.
New College of Florida is the one state university that essentially has already adopted a block-tuition plan.
Donal O’Shea, president of New College, said all of the 860 students on the Sarasota campus are full-time students and are charged for 16 credit hours per semester, with many taking heavier class loads.
He said he expects a smooth adjustment to the block tuition mandate if the New College plan can conform to a provision in the House’s higher-education bill (HB 3) that would prohibit schools from charging students for more than 15 credit hours a semester.
Randy Avent, president of Florida Polytechnic University who previously served as a vice chancellor for research at North Carolina State University, said he is very familiar with block tuition plans, but is waiting to see more details on the Florida proposals.