MidAmerica Nazarene University recently announced it has instituted a flat per-credit-hour rate for its accelerated bachelor’s degree completion programs for active military and active reserve members. Qualified military personnel will pay $250 per credit hour, a savings of more than 30 percent. University officials believe the move demonstrates a significant commitment to making a bachelor’s degree more accessible to service members.
 
“Lowering our tuition rate demonstrates our commitment to service members,” says Dr. Stephen Ragan, vice president for academic affairs. “Cutting tuition by 30 to 50 percent is a strong statement about the level of our commitment.”
 
Having served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, Ragan understands the challenges military personnel can encounter when trying to obtain higher education. He and Graduate and Adult Studies admissions director Kenny Merschbrock, who served in the Army during the first Gulf War, spearheaded MNU’s effort to become a Servicemember Opportunity College (SOC) certified institution. Merschbrock considers the move a way to honor service members in recognition of their service to the United States.

“We recognize that our troops serve in often dangerous environments with less compensation than they might have in private life,” Merschbrock states. “Because military personnel frequently move, it makes it very difficult to complete a degree. MNU and the SOC association have agreed to work together to make it easier for service members to enroll in college programs by simplifying credit transfers.”
 
MNU will work to seek feedback from active service members to ensure that the university is continually working to improve their experience, but for the time being Merschbrock says MNU has officially become a “Military Friendly Institution.”
 
Current programs at MNU that qualify for the special rate include the Bachelor of Business Administration, the Bachelor of Arts in Management and Human Relations, the Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration and the RN-BSN program. All programs are accelerated and can be completed in as little as one year to eighteen months. In addition, the public administration major is completed 90 percent online, and the RN-BSN is offered 100 percent online (as well as on site), adding another level of convenience for the service member.
 
For more information on the military tuition rate and programs at MNU contact Graduate and Adult Studies Admissions at (913) 971-3277.