Parents react to possible UT credit change

11:35 PM, Jun 20, 2012   |    comments
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The parents of prospective college students are reacting to news of a possible change on the UT campus.

UT Chancellor Jimmy Cheek has a plan called, "Take Fifteen, Graduate in Four," which would require full-time students entering the campus in 2013 to pay for 15 credits instead of the current 12. Students would pay about $1,400 more per year for those 15 hours.

Parents of prospective students have mixed reactions to the news.

Rusty Martin has a sophomore in high school. He said the change could put more of a financial squeeze on parents.

"As parents you wonder, 'how am I going to afford the education', how are you going to afford college, how much is it going to be by the time he [his son] gets to college," Martin said.

Another parent, Robert Cheek, said changes in higher education are inevitable. He said if his 16-year-old goes to UT in the next several years, the change won't be too much of a concern.

"When I compare the prices at Tennessee with other schools, it's a great bargain," he said.

The UT Board of Trustees will vote on whether to approve the change Thursday afternoon. Cheek told 10News, if the change goes into effect, it is possible the Class of 2017 will not see a tuition increase of more than 3 percent for three years of their college experience.