Block tuition has made it easier for students to graduate with minors. ACU has Since offering block tuition beginning the Fall 2012 semester, ACU has gradually increased the number of students graduating with minors.

“In May 2010 we had 124 degrees awarded with minors, in May 2011 we had 95 degrees awarded with minors, in May 2012 we had 126 degrees awarded with minors and in May 2013 we had 132 degrees awarded with minors,” said Lisa McCarty, assistant director of institutional research.

Block tuition allows undergraduate students to take up to 36 hours a year at a flat rate, which reduces the cost of a degree. Students are able to save up to $17,500 over three and a half years. The goal of block tuition is to help students and their families pay less for an education and reduce debt after graduation.

Block tuition has not necessarily made more students want to add minors, but it has made it easier for those who do.

“My mom and dad weren’t too sure about me minoring in something because of the cost of classes, but when they found out about block tuition they were more on board with it,” said Kariana Williams, sophomore vocational ministry major from Belton.

Block tuition has also made it less costly for students who stay longer than four years as an undergraduate student.

“I’m not sure if I will be graduating on time, but because of block tuition, I will be able to take some other electives without it costing me extra,” Williams said.

Students are able to take more electives and have more opportunities to study abroad with the flexibility that block tuition offers in the amount of hours that students take.

“I would say that block tuition makes it easier to have a minor because it let’s me take classes when I need to without paying more or staying an extra semester,” Briana Toplin, sophomore biology pre-med major from Keller, said. “It’s more beneficial in that I can hopefully graduate on time.”

For some students, adding a minor was not hard to do because of block tuition.

“My adviser informed me that I would only have to take one more class to get a minor, so I did,” said Erik Soulek, senior information systems major from San Antonio.