States That Give Senior Students a Break, or Not Want to hit the books without hitting your wallet? Thirty-nine states offer tuition breaks or special programs for seniors, according to a 1995 survey by the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement. The rules of each state, of course, have their own wrinkles, so be sure to check with your local university before enrolling. States with age-based tuition waivers: Alaska -- 60, enrollment on a space-available basis Arkansas -- 60, general student fees, space available Connecticut -- 62, space available Delaware -- 60, formal degree candidates only, space available District of Columbia -- 60, credit or audit Florida -- 60, credit courses but no credit awarded, space available Georgia -- 62, space available Hawaii -- 60, credit courses, space available Idaho -- 60, reduced fees and tuition, space available Illinois -- 64, credit courses, space available. If annual household income is below threshold in Section 4 of Senior Citizens & Disabled Persons Property Tax Relief and Pharmaceutical Assistance Act Indiana -- 60, high school graduate, retired, and not employed full-time, 50% in-state tuition up to nine semester hours Kansas -- 60, audit, but not credit, space available Kentucky -- 65, for those admitted, space available. Donovan Scholars -- audit or credit without limit Louisiana -- 60; for those over 50, reduction in cost of textbooks and instructional aids Maine -- 65 with financial need, credit or non-credit, space available Maryland -- 60, retired with chief income from retirement benefits, not employed full-time, space available, credit or noncredit up to three courses per term Massachusetts -- 60, space available, credit or noncredit Michigan -- 60, community colleges Minnesota -- 62, credit, audit, or noncredit excluding noncredit adult vocational education courses, space available Montana -- 62 Nevada, 62, credit or audit New Hampshire -- 65, fees vary among institutions New Jersey -- 65, credit or noncredit, space available New Mexico -- 60, credit and noncredit if enrolled for less than six hours and meet all course requisites New York -- 60, audit or credit, space available North Carolina -- 65, credit or noncredit, must meet admission standards, space available North Dakota -- 65, audit, space available Ohio -- 60, noncredit, space available Oklahoma -- 65, space available Pennsylvania -- Retired persons, space available Rhode Island -- 60, permanent resident, household income less than twice the federal poverty level as established by the U.S. Health & Human Services Dept., space available South Carolina -- 60, credit or noncredit, must meet admission standards, space available South Dakota -- 65, 75% of normal tuition, credit Tennessee -- 65, audit or credit, space available Texas -- 65, audit, space available Utah -- 62, space available, audit. Senior must pay full tuition to receive credit Virgina -- 60, up to three noncredit per quarter or semester; six audit only if income exceeds $10,00, for credit if income below $10,000 space available unless has completed 75% of degree requirements Washington -- 60, credit or audit up to two courses per quarter or semester if course credits not for increasing credentials or salary increases, subject to prerequisites Wisconsin -- 62, vocational adult courses States with no legislation or state policy to waive or reduce tuition for senior citizens: Alabama -- None Arizona -- None California -- None Iowa -- None Mississippi -- Individual institutions have policies based on age Missouri -- Individual institutions have policies based on age Nebraska -- None Oregon -- Individual institutions have policies based on age Vermont -- Individual institutions have policies based on age West Virginia -- Individual institutions have policies based on age Wyoming -- Up to 20% of tuition may be waived, and most individual colleges provide this waiver for senior citizens on a space-available basis Data: Excerpted from Older Adult Education: A Guide to Research, Programs, and Policies By Ronald J. Manheimer, Denise D. Snodgrass, Diane Moskow-McKenzie (Greenwood Press, 1995) Return to main story

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