In an effort to boost enrollment and grow Vermont’s workforce, the University of Vermont is expanding tuition breaks for New England students who major in certain fields.
Beginning next fall, eligible first-year and transfer students from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island can save more than 35% on UVM’s standard out-of-state tuition by enrolling in one of 31 select majors, the university announced earlier this month. These students will pay an estimated tuition rate of $30,240, which officials say reflects a discount of more than $18,000 a year.
“Our strategy is to continue to make our world class education more affordable, and that's something that we think about every single year,” said Jay Jacobs, UVM’s vice president for enrollment management.
Nearly one-third of the university’s majors are included in the Regional Tuition Break program, including every major offered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Education and Social Services and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Agriculture and life sciences make up large aspects of the state’s economy, while the education sector is continually in need of more teachers, Jacobs said. He added that when university officials decided which majors to include in the tuition break, they placed specific emphasis on preparing students to enter Vermont’s workforce.
Vermont has critical workforce needs, an aging population and a shortage of educators, social workers, counselors and other professionals working in human services, said Katie Shepherd, UVM’s Dean of the College of Education and Social Services.
“When we can emphasize that we are preparing students for the workforce … we’re preparing students for places where there are lots of jobs, and then we’re supporting them well,” Shepherd said. “If you put all those things together, it will really make a difference.”
The announcement of the Regional Tuition Break program came shortly after the university announced it’s expanding access to the UVM Promise, its zero-tuition program for Vermont residents.
Starting fall 2027, all admitted students from Vermont households with a combined annual income of up to $125,000 — an increase from $100,000 last year — can attend UVM tuition-free.
“We want to tackle affordability head on,” Jacobs said. “And so we hope to see enrollment growth because of these two programs and continued increased demand in the University of Vermont education.”
The university had forecasted a decline in freshman and undergraduate enrollment for this year.
The university’s deadline for students to add, drop, pass/no pass and audit classes is next Monday, and UVM will complete its census and achieve clarity on exact enrollment figures for the current fall semester by the end of next week, according to Jacobs.
So far, he said he’s feeling “really energized” by the new students who came to campus this year.
“They are academically qualified, they are diverse in the broadest sense of the word diversity, and they will make an impact on the world. They will make an impact on the state, and they will definitely make an impact on our community, both on campus and in Burlington,” Jacobs said.
