Wells College Reduces Tuition by 30%

Wells College reduces tuition by 30%

Aurora, New York -- Wells, a women's college in upstate New York, has joined other institutional leaders who are responding to public concern about the affordability of higher education.

After a long and thoughtful process, the Wells College Board of Trustees voted to set the college's tuition and fees at $12,300 beginning in the fall 1999 semester, down from a current $17,540 -- a 30% reduction.

President Lisa Marsh Ryerson said, "Along with this tuition reduction, we have made a decision to increase our investment in academic program enrichment in the months and years ahead. We know these decisions will make a Wells liberal arts education more valuable and affordable to students and their families."

This innovative action places Wells in a leadership position with Princeton, Yale, and Stanford -- top universities that have also recently addressed the problem of educational access through new financial policies. Wells is the first liberal arts college for women to join this current effort.

Ryerson said, "The college is in a unique position to set the standards for affordable pricing. We are able to take these actions due to the success of our ongoing comprehensive campaign through which generous alumnae and friends of the college have demonstrated their commitment to educating women.

"Women's colleges continue to serve a critical role in the landscape of higher education. Wells intends to accelerate its commitment to academic programs that will prepare women for leadership in the new century."

Established in 1868 by Henry Wells, founder of the Wells Fargo and American Express Companies, Wells is a four-year, liberal arts college for women located on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake in New York State's scenic Finger Lakes Region.

For more information and interviews with President Lisa Marsh Ryerson, call 315.364.3260 or [email protected]