Missouri State University-West Plains offers a fee waiver program to any Missouri resident at least 62 years of age who wishes to take up to 24 credit hours of academic courses offered by the University. Eligible students may register for one class per semester and have the required common fees and tuition waived; however, the student will buy textbooks (if required) and pay supplemental course fees. Classes must be taken on an audit basis. Participants in this program must take tuition-free courses on a noncredit basis and must satisfy all course prerequisites of Missouri State University-West Plains. Participants must be fully admitted to the University as nondegree students and must follow the regulations for nondegree students elsewhere in this catalog.
Seniors participating in this program must declare their intent to enroll in the program at the point of admission in order to have all required common fees/tuition waived. Seniors may register through the fee waiver program beginning on the Friday before classes begin. Registration can only be done on a "seats available" basis. If a degree-seeking student needs a seat in a course occupied by a senior citizen, the degree-seeking student will be given that seat. A minimum of ten students must be registered in a class before a senior citizen can register.
Qualifying students in this classification are:
- At least 62 years of age
- Nondegree-seeking
- Residents of the state of Missouri
- Citizen of the United States
- Not able to apply this waiver to online course offerings, Law Enforcement Academy classes or any course offered in conjunction with the South Central Career Center.
- Not able to apply this waiver to nursing courses. There are a limited number of seats available and these are reserved for degree-seeking students.