As the UNC Board of Governors reviews a possible raise of the system’s 18-percent out-of-state cap, they should consider the financial and social benefits that a slight increase in nonresident enrollment will confer to the state’s universities and students.
As legislators reduce the flow of North Carolina tax dollars to the UNC system, our obligation to prioritize in-state enrollment should decrease.
A move to a 22-percent cap is modest — and it would increase total system enrollment, leaving in-state admissions unaffected.
The current systemwide cap is one of the lowest among UNC’s peer universities. And many peers don’t even have a cap on out-of-state students.
Extra out-of-state tuition revenue would not solve the UNC system’s money woes — but any funds universities can squeeze out of non-state sources are a plus.
And out-of-state students are not just a supplementary source of income.
Nonresident applicants have necessarily been held to a higher standard than in-state applicants, so their academic qualifications are indisputable.
Raising out-of-state enrollment would allow for an influx of diverse perspectives that contribute to the University’s culture and the state’s economy, given that many students remain here after graduation.
There is no logical reason for the board to object to such a minor increase.
