Breaking Barriers to a Top-Ranked Education

The rising cost of college is a national concern. While students and families agree that a college education is an investment in the future, they are confused by how much college will actually cost. Colleges set high tuition rates which are then significantly discounted by scholarships and financial aid. This sets up an unnecessary barrier for many students and prevents them from exploring all of their college choices. In fact, according to a 2017 study conducted by Sallie Mae, seven out of 10 families eliminated colleges from consideration due to cost concerns during their search and selection process.

Mills wants to break this barrier that prevents students from considering an education at a top private liberal arts college. By resetting the cost of our undergraduate tuition, as well as bringing more transparency to the pricing structure upfront, we intend to demonstrate that a life-changing Mills education is not exclusive to only a few, but is accessible and affordable to all academically qualified students.

No, this tuition reduction will not result in any change in our academic program offerings, the high caliber of our faculty, or the top-ranked private education we provide. In fact, we are excited to introduce new academic initiatives at the same time as this tuition change. Beginning in fall 2018, undergraduate students will participate in our new signature academic experience as part of their journey at Mills. This initiative includes a comprehensive individualized and mentored learning program combined with real-world experience and career preparation for students of all majors.

Absolutely. Undergraduate students will still be eligible for scholarships and financial aid that will further reduce the cost of their tuition. Amounts will be lower to correspond with the lower tuition price.

Through the tuition reset, Mills will be reducing our undergraduate tuition by 36 percent, lowering it from $44,765 to $28,765 beginning fall 2018. Students receiving financial aid will see adjustments to correspond with the tuition reduction, but all will see their bottom-line tuition costs reduced. Returning Mills undergraduates will not pay more tuition in 2018–19 than they did in 2017-18. 

Prior to the tuition reset, Mills’ annual tuition increases were projected to be three percent each year. However, in the 2018–19 academic year when the new tuition takes effect, students will see a much lower tuition cost and what they pay will be the same, or less, than in 2017–18. Annual tuition increases in subsequent years will be set from the lower base tuition rate, making tuition increases smaller, resulting in actual savings to all enrolled students.

Graduate tuition is not included in this reduction because Mills launched a new graduate tuition structure for the current (2017–18) academic year to provide greater value to our graduate students. We simplified our tuition model, made it equitable based on individual program costs, and introduced per-credit-hour pricing to provide flexibility for full- or part-time study. Similar to the undergraduate tuition reset, we made graduate scholarship opportunities more transparent upfront, so students could better budget for their education.

Room and board costs, as well as fees, are not included in our tuition reduction. However, each of these separate items has only been increased by a modest amount, approximately two to three percent.

Our new tuition for 2018–19 sets an undergraduate tuition base equivalent to what Mills charged in 2005–06. Tuition increases in future years will start from this significantly lower price.

Mills was founded in 1852 to educate women, breaking a barrier that prevented many from pursuing a college degree. We’ve continued that tradition with groundbreaking initiatives in academic programs and in our recent transgender and gender-nonconforming admissions policy. We’ve made SAT/ACT test scores optional to remove another roadblock to higher education and are a Hispanic-serving institution, reflecting the diversity of our California home.

Mills welcomes students of all backgrounds and all ages—from first-generation students to transfer students to parents resuming their education. As one of the most diverse and progressive liberal arts colleges in the country, being at the forefront of increasing student access to higher education is central to our mission.