Students to pay more for overloads and audit

The administration explained that the rationale behind the decision is essentially to discourage free-riding. "Students who take a lot of overloads are making others pay for their education," Vice President (VP) for Finance and Administration Alexander Alexandrov said. "A student [who] takes six courses instead of five is more expensive to educate," Dean of Faculty Steven Sullivan said. This student pays for five courses and takes the sixth one at the expense of other students, he added.

The price students will pay for credit overload is a small portion of the actual credit price. "A credit costs [around] $400," Alexandrov said. Even if a student takes 19 credits per semester and pays $120 for the 18th and 19th credits, he or she will only spend one fourth of the actual price of one credit, he added.

Previously students had to pay $40 for each additional credit above 18. "The instigation for introduction of the overload fee [of $40 per each credit of 19 and up] a couple of years ago was the increase in students taking overloads," Sullivan said. "This proved to be an incentive not big enough for them to stop", he added. Because of this, the fees have been raised to the current levels.

The decision to charge students an overload fee even if the overload credit is taken on an audit basis was made after complaints by some professors. "Professors do not get credit for having more [auditing] students in class; these students do not influence the professor's allowance for making copies but expect to [be given] handouts," Sullivan said.

"There are good academic reasons for students [...] to want to audit a course: [if it] is a subject [of their] interest [but they] do not have the time to fulfill all the required commitments," Sullivan said. The second reason is to avoid paying for a course with the overload fee, he added. If a student is motivated by taking a class and not having to pay the overload fee for it, he or she is filling up the class at the expense of others, Sullivan said.

The reasons behind the new policy introduction are not financial, Alexandrov said. "It is a disincentive for people to stop abusing the system."

The policy of paying for credits that go over 132 has not changed.

"I agree with the policy. In some universities you have to pay separately for every credit you take," student Gezime Hasani said.

"It looks like the administration [is trying] to discourage students from taking more courses. The policy constrains students in their desire for knowledge," student Igor Gurkin said.

Student Giorgi Vakhtangashvili said he dislikes the policy. "Every other semester many courses have 15-20 students on the waiting list. In order to complete their double majors, they often need to take more than 17 credits," he said.