A fee of $118 per credit hour will be charged to students who want to enroll in NIU’s off-campus graduate business classes, almost twice as much as the fee for campus classes.

Approved by the Board of Regents Thursday, the money will be used to relocate and centralize NIU’s Master’s of Business Administration programs now scattered throughout DuPage County along the Illinois-5 high-tech corridor.

igher tuition can be charged to off-campus programs because businesses have reimbursement programs which pay up to 80 percent of students’ tuition, said NIU President John LaTourette.

“(These classes) are a direct response to growth in our region,” LaTourette said.

The fee will ensure NIU can maintain its accreditation with the American Assocation of Collegiate School of Buisness and respond to a demand for the off-campus programs, said Regents Chancellor Roderick Groves.