Warrior Promise: Frequently Asked Questions

The Warrior Promise guaranteed tuition program was implemented during a time of rising tuition rates. It was intended to help students and their families better plan for the cost of earning a degree at East Stroudsburg University by eliminating the major factor of financial uncertainty; parents and students knowing the tuition rate would not increase. Students in the program are paying an overall higher tuition rate than students attending sister institutions in the System who pay the Board of Governors’ approved rate but with the guarantee that their tuition will not go up for 8 semesters. However, in the years since the university introduced the Warrior Promise Guaranteed Tuition Program, the Board of Governors froze tuition making the basic premise on which the program was founded obsolete.

The Warrior Promise is suspended for all new students (freshmen, transfers, readmits) effective with fall 2022 semester.

Yes, current students in a Warrior Promise cohort will be given the opportunity to remain in the program until their 8 semesters expire or revert to the Board-established rate, effective fall 2022. For those students that choose to remain in the program, any additional credits taken beyond their eight guaranteed tuition rate academic semesters will be at the Board-approved rates at that time.

Yes, students who are currently participants in the Warrior Promise program have a one-time opportunity to opt out and revert to the Board-established rate.

Students participating in the Warrior Promise Guaranteed Tuition Rate program should consider the benefits associated with participating in a guaranteed tuition rate program including but not limited to:

• pricing predictability and transparency
• a degree of affordability with the certainty that tuition will not rise
• reduced financial obstacles to progression and graduation, helping you succeed
• greater ability to do financial planning

They should also consider the difference in tuition price. See FAQ below.

All continuing, undergraduate students who are currently participants in the Warrior Promise program should have received a letter from the Student Accounts Office at their permanent home address on record with the university explaining the suspension of the program. In this letter it directs you to the student tab of the student portal to complete and submit the Warrior Promise Opt-Out Form for Continuing ESU Students.

New freshmen, transfer, and readmit in-state students will be charged the Board of Governors’ approved tuition rate.

New freshmen, transfer, and readmit out-of-state students will be charged the university’s out-of-state tuition rate based on their state of permanent residence. New students from neighboring states that share a border with Pennsylvania (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia) will be charged 125% of the in-state rate. New students from all other states will be charged a tuition rate based on their GPA at the time they enter the university. New students with a GPA of less than 3.0 will be charged 200% of the in-state rate. New students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher will be charged 150% of the in-state rate

To follow is a per tuition rate comparison for fall 2022:

Yes, part-time, degree seeking students are eligible to return to the Board approved tuition rates.

Opting out of Warrior Promise might affect your financial aid and scholarships. Everyone’s situation is different. Therefore, we recommend you reach out to the Financial Aid Office at fa@esu.edu or (570) 422-2800 to learn the impact, if any, opting out of the Warrior Promise might have on your financial aid. Additionally, if you choose to revert to the System rate by completing the Warrior Promise Opt-Out Form for Continuing ESU Students, an ESU staff member will then reach out to you to provide counsel on the impact this might have on your financial aid and scholarships. Following that counseling, you will have the opportunity to confirm your desire to opt out of the Warrior Promise and be charged the System rate. Please know that if you choose to revert to the System rate, you will be unable to return to the Warrior Promise program after the opt-out period closes on May 20, 2022.

Yes, you can continue to take additional undergraduate courses until you have used your 8 guaranteed semesters.

No. The Warrior Promise applies only to undergraduate coursework. However, students might want to consider applying their remaining semesters to earning additional undergraduate credits toward another major or minor.

Students who choose to remain in the Warrior Promise program and need more than 8 semesters in which to complete their bachelor’s degree will revert to the Board approved rate beginning in their 9^th semester.

If you have additional questions after reading the above question and answers, please contact us.

The Warrior Promise is ESU’s commitment to a guaranteed, fixed four-year tuition rate, as established by the Board of Governors, for 8 consecutive regular (fall and spring) semesters, beginning with the first term of an undergraduate student’s enrollment at ESU.

The Instructional Resources fee and the Technology fee are included and will be fixed for the 8 consecutive regular semesters associated with each Warrior Promise cohort.

The Warrior Promise is intended to make the costs of a college education more predictable for undergraduate students and their families by establishing a tuition rate for each entering class that will not increase for four years. The Warrior Promise will protect students and their families from annual increases in tuition and enable them to more accurately estimate and budget for college expenses.

A significant benefit of the Warrior Promise is that it will freeze a significant portion of the cost of higher education.

Beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year, the Warrior Promise will apply to all new main campus full and part-time degree seeking undergraduates, regardless of residency.

The Warrior Promise tuition rate applies to all new undergraduate students, freshmen and transfer, resident, nonresident or international who enroll in a bachelor’s degree program or a second bachelor’s degree program.

Yes. New out of state, non resident and international undergraduate students qualify and will be covered by the Warrior Promise.

Yes. Students who transfer to ESU from another college or university qualify and will be covered by the Warrior Promise. Their entering tuition rate will be guaranteed for 8 consecutive regular semesters without regard to the number of credits transferred in.

Yes. Undergraduates who are being readmitted to ESU will, upon their return, be covered by the Warrior Promise and will have their tuition rate guaranteed for the next 8 consecutive regular semesters.

Yes. Part time degree seeking undergraduates qualify. They will be covered by the Warrior Promise and will be placed in a Warrior Promise cohort when they enroll. They will be charged a fixed pro-rated per credit rate based on the Warrior Promise rate in effect at the time they enrolled.

Students have 8 consecutive regular semesters at their Warrior Promise cohort’s rate whether they are part time or full time degree seeking undergraduates

Yes. Second Bachelor’s Degree students will be covered by the Warrior Promise and will be placed in a Warrior Promise cohort when they enroll in the post baccalaureate program. The tuition rate will remain unchanged for 8 consecutive regular semesters. In that 8 semester period the student may complete as many undergraduate degrees, majors, minors, and certificates as they chose.

No. There is no sign up required for NEW undergraduates. The Warrior Promise is ESU’s only tuition rate for NEW undergraduate students.

Currently enrolled undergraduate students will have an opportunity to OPT IN to participate and have their tuition fixed for 8 consecutive regular semesters. Such a decision may be appropriate depending on the number of credits a student has earned and the time they expect to remain in school.

The Warrior Promise does not affect the value of any of ESU’s renewable tuition scholarships. All of ESU’s renewable tuition scholarships maintain their value provided the renewal criteria are met.

A student who defers or delays their enrollment will be placed in a Warrior Promise cohort when they enroll.

The student will be placed in a Warrior Promise cohort and charged the tuition rate in effect for that academic year for 8 consecutive regular semesters.

Undergraduate students who first enroll in the summer will pay the tuition rate in effect for that summer term. When the student enrolls for the fall semester, the Warrior Promise tuition rate in effect for that entering fall cohort will begin and continue for 8 consecutive regular semesters.

Yes. The Warrior Promise tuition rate will remain unchanged for 8 consecutive regular semesters. In that cohort period a student may complete as many undergraduate degrees, majors, minors, and certificates as they chose.

No. the Warrior Promise applies only to undergraduate coursework. A person who earns their undergraduate degree in less than 8 consecutive regular semesters may use the remaining time to take additional undergraduate courses and may, in so doing, earn additional credentials or fulfill undergraduate course prerequisites for admission to graduate or professional programs. A person considering such action should consult with a financial aid staff member to determine if there are any limitations on federal or state financial aid eligibility.

Undergraduate degree seeking students have 8 consecutive regular semesters at the Warrior Promise tuition rate to complete a bachelor’s degree. Having a Graduation Application form on file does not reduce the number of consecutive regular semesters available.

Students participating in an international exchange or a study abroad program with enrollment through ESU will retain their original Warrior Promise tuition rate. In these cases, students are enrolled in Study Abroad placeholder courses at ESU (usually SCHD 100), thereby maintaining continuous enrollment at ESU.

Students who complete two or more semesters of an international exchange or a study abroad program, by enrolling through an institution other than ESU, will be placed into the current Warrior Promise tuition cohort in effect at the time of their return to ESU.

Students who do not enroll at ESU for one regular (fall or spring) semester retain their original Warrior Promise tuition rate. However, the non-enrollment semester does count as one of the 8 regular semesters at that Warrior Promise tuition rate. The Warrior Promise tuition rate will not be extended a semester as a result of non-enrollment.

Students who do not enroll at ESU for two or more regular (fall or spring) semesters lose their original Warrior Promise tuition rate. Students lose their original Warrior Promise tuition rate whether the two or more missed semesters are consecutive or nonconsecutive. Returning students will be placed into the prevailing Warrior Promise cohort in effect at the time of their return to ESU, and will have 8 consecutive regular semesters at that rate.

Students needing a 9th or 10th semester in which to complete their bachelor’s degree would revert to the least expensive guaranteed rate (the rate that rising fourth-year students would be paying) in effect at that time.

For example, students who first enrolled in fall 2018 at the 2018 Warrior Promise rate who did not complete their degree by spring 2022 AND had not missed two regular (fall/spring) semesters in the interim would pay the 2019 Warrior Promise rate for fall 2023 and spring 2024 (their 9th and 10th semesters).

Students eligible to participate are degree seeking full and part-time undergraduates enrolled on ESU’s main campus in East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania.

All other students, including, but not limited to, graduate students, domestic and international exchange students, dual enrolled high school students, concurrent enrolled students, non-degree students, and students pursuing only a certificate program are not eligible to participate in the program.

No. Participation in the Warrior Promise is limited to those undergraduate students enrolled in a degree program as described above. Students taking courses who are not in a degree program do not qualify for participation. Non-degree students will, as they are presently, be charged the tuition rate established for that current year and any tuition increases for future years.

No. Concurrent students do not qualify for the Warrior Promise tuition rate. Concurrent students pay the tuition rate established for that current year, and they are responsible for any tuition increases in future years.

If you have additional questions after reading the above question and answers, please contact us.