Student Classifications Under the Cincinnati Tuition Guarantee Policy

UC’s Cincinnati Tuition Guarantee applies to all new first-year degree–seeking undergraduate students enrolling at University of Cincinnati for the first time in Fall Semester 2019 or later terms.

A “new first–year student” is any undergraduate degree–seeking student enrolled at any University of Cincinnati's campus for the first time on or after Fall Semester 2019, and who has not been enrolled at any other college or post-secondary institution.

New first–year students include:

• Students who enroll at University of Cincinnati after graduating from high school
• Students who earned a GED
• Non-traditional students who enroll at any University of Cincinnati campus for the first time

New first–year students do not include:

• Non-degree–seeking students
• College Credit Plus or advanced high school
• Incoming exchange students
• Other students participating in other pre-enrollment or post-secondary option programs

New first–year degree–seeking undergraduate students admitted in a given academic year whose first enrollment is a summer term will pay the prior CTG cohort tuition rate for that summer semester’s enrollment, but will be assigned to the entering semester CTG cohort that immediately follows for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, CTG cohort duration, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price from that first cohort-semester forward through the duration of the cohort.

Example

Bearcat is admitted to UC as a new degree-seeking student for the 2020–2021 academic year, the first term of which is Fall Semester 2020. UC classifies Bearcat as a first-year 2020–2021 CTG cohort student.

Bearcat first enrolls at UC for Summer Semester 2020, which precedes Fall Semester 2020. For Summer Semester 2020 only, Bearcat is charged the 2019–2020 cohort tuition rate.

As a first-year student for academic year 2020–2021, Bearcat is placed into the 2020–2021 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price. Starting with Fall Semester 2020, Bearcat is charged and guaranteed the 2020–2021 cohort tuition rate.

As a UC first-year student, Bearcat enters the 2020–2021 CTG cohort with four full academic years of 12 consecutive semesters of guaranteed tuition at the 2020–2021 rate for a four–year degree program, or five full academic years of 15 consecutive semesters for a five–year degree program.

Students who enrolled at University of Cincinnati’s uptown and regional campuses or who enrolled in UC online classes prior to Fall Semester 2019 are not covered by UC’s Cincinnati Tuition Guarantee. For those students, tuition and other fees are set annually by UC’s Board of Trustees.

All new-to-UC transfer students admitted and enrolling for the first time at UC for any term in the 2019-2020 academic year will be assigned to the CTG 2019–2020 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price, and the duration of the guaranteed tuition rate.

The 2019–2020 CTG cohort will be assigned regardless of the number of credit hours the student earned and transferred in to UC from any previous institutions of higher learning.

Beginning with the 2020-21 academic year, the incoming transfer student’s CTG cohort, tuition rate, and the number of remaining years and semesters for the guaranteed tuition rate are dependent on the number of credit hours earned from any previous institutions of higher learning.

Transfer students will be assigned a CTG cohort based on the number of credit hours that the student has transferred to UC as of the initial term of transfer to UC. Submitting additional transfer credit after the initial transfer term to UC will not change a student’s CTG cohort to a lesser cohort rate. Cohorts for transfer students will be assigned based on the received transfer credit as follows:

• 0 to 29 semester hours transferred in to UC = UC first–year student (freshman)
• 30 to 59 semester hours transferred in to UC = UC second–year student (sophomore)
• 60 to 89 hours transferred in to UC = UC third–year student (junior)
• 90 to 120+ hours transferred in to UC = UC fourth–year student (senior)

The transfer student will be guaranteed the tuition rate of the assigned cohort for the remaining years and terms of their guaranteed four or five cohort academic years, dependent on the student’s program.

Students transferring in 0 to 29 semester hours will be classified as a UC first–year student, and will be assigned to that academic year’s CTG cohort for all first-year students.

Students transferring in credit to UC will not be placed into academic year cohorts that pre-date the 2019-2020 initial year of UC’s Cincinnati Tuition Guarantee policy.

Example #1: 0 to 29 Semester Hours Transferred to UC (1st–year student)

Bearcat transfers to UC as a new-to-UC degree-seeking student during the 2020–2021 academic year. Bearcat has transferred in to UC the equivalent of 29 semester hours of coursework.

Given this number of transferred credit hours, UC classifies Bearcat as a first-year student.

As a first–year student for academic year 2020–2021, Bearcat is placed into the 2020–2021 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price.

As a UC first–year student, Bearcat enters UC with four full academic years of 12 consecutive semesters of guaranteed tuition at the 2020–2021 rate for a four–year degree program, or five full academic years of 15 consecutive semesters for a five–year degree program.

Example #2: 30 to 59 Semester Hours Transferred to UC (2nd–year student)

Bearcat transfers to UC as a new-to-UC degree-seeking student during the 2020–2021 academic year. Bearcat has transferred in to UC the equivalent of 42 semester hours of coursework.

Given this number of transferred credit hours, UC classifies Bearcat as a 2nd–year student (sophomore).

Because 2020–2021 UC non-transfer second-year students first enrolled at UC during the 2019–2020 academic year, Bearcat is placed into the 2019–2020 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price.

As a UC second-year student (sophomore) in the 2019–2020 cohort, Bearcat enters UC with three years of nine consecutive semesters remaining of the four years guaranteed tuition at the 2019–2020 rate for a four–year degree program, or four years of 12 consecutive semesters remaining for a five–year degree program.

Example #3: 60 to 89 Semester Hours Transferred to UC (3rd–year student)

Bearcat transfers to UC as a new-to-UC degree–seeking student during the 2021–2022 academic year. Bearcat has transferred in to UC the equivalent of 78 semester hours of coursework.

Given this number of transferred credit hours, UC classifies Bearcat as a third-year student (junior).

Because 2021–2022 UC non-transfer third-year students first enrolled at UC during the 2019–2020 academic year, Bearcat is placed into the 2019–2020 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price.

As a UC third–year student (junior) in the 2019–2020 cohort, Bearcat enters UC with two years of six consecutive semesters remaining of the four years guaranteed tuition at the 2019–2020 rate for a four–year degree program, or three years of nine consecutive semesters remaining for a five–year degree program.

Example #4: 90 to 120+ Semester Hours Transferred to UC (4th–year student)

Bearcat transfers to UC as a new-to-UC degree-seeking student during the 2022–2023 academic year. Bearcat has transferred in to UC the equivalent of 99 semester hours of coursework.

Given this number of transferred credit hours, UC classifies Bearcat as a fourth–year student (senior).

Because 2022–2023 UC non-transfer fourth-year students first enrolled at UC during the 2019–2020 academic year, Bearcat is placed into the 2019–2020 cohort for the purpose of determining undergraduate tuition, mandatory fees, and room and board covered by the guaranteed cohort price.

As a UC fourth–year student (senior) in the 2019–2020 cohort, Bearcat enters UC with one year of three consecutive semesters remaining of the four years guaranteed tuition at the 2019–2020 rate for a four–year degree program, or two years of six consecutive semesters remaining for a five–year degree program.

A non-degree–seeking student is a student who is not pursuing an undergraduate degree or who has not been admitted to University of Cincinnati as a degree-seeking student.

UC’s Cincinnati Tuition Guarantee does not apply to non-degree–seeking students.

Students admitted or enrolled as non-degree–seeking students will not be assigned to a CTG cohort.

If the non-degree–seeking student later is admitted into a degree program and enrolls as an undergraduate degree–seeking student, the student will be assigned to the appropriate CTG cohort based on the semester in which the student first enrolled as a degree–seeking student.

For non-degree–seeking students, tuition, mandatory fees and room and board charges will continue to be set annually by UC’s Board of Trustees.