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This subcommittee is exploring how DePaul programs such as teaching, nursing, social work and public health — which are socially critical but understaffed nationally and often lower paid — can be made more affordable for students to pursue considering upcoming changes to student loans. The subcommittee is considering innovative tuition models, including debt-free pricing, tuition guarantees, and paid residencies, starting with undergraduate teacher licensure programs. Early efforts focus on pairing new tuition approaches with targeted marketing and school district partnerships to grow enrollment. This work could make these careers more accessible, strengthen the workforce, promote social mobility and serve as a model for other socially critical programs.
Members
- Soumitra Ghosh, Co-Chair
- Jennifer Mueller, Co-Chair
- Katherine (Kathie) Kapustka
- Richard F. Niedziela
- Matthew Stern
- Nancy Hashimoto
- Stephanie Dance-Barnes
- Martine Kei Green-Rogers
- Andre Lewis
Progress Update
- The subcommittee is exploring new tuition models — such as debt-free pricing, tuition guarantees, paid residencies or other supported aid. The financial impact of the reduced tuition on the university can be offset by gains in enrollment.
The subcommittee is focusing first on a new tuition model for undergraduate teacher licensure programs and pairing it with targeted marketing and school-district partnerships to grow enrollment, potentially with a new cohort in fall 2027.
If successful, this approach could make teaching more financially viable, strengthen the local workforce, promote social mobility and serve as a model for other socially critical undergraduate and graduate programs.