The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) coordinates all of the state’s public universities, community colleges, and colleges of applied technology. It is also charged with setting tuition guidelines for Tennessee’s public higher education institutions. THEC sought NCHEMS’ assistance in reviewing and revising the methodology it uses to set those guidelines, which take the form of annual limits on tuition increases.
NCHEMS is analyzing institutional finances in the context of tuition prices to identify areas where financing policies may be falling short in terms of affordability for students and/or adequate funding for institutions. We will then identify which of these areas can be addressed by tuition policy and make recommendations for changes.