Miller’s family kicks off prepaid tuition program

Jace Radke

Friday, Oct. 2, 1998 | 11:33 a.m.

Megan Miller, the 8-year-old daughter of Gov. Bob Miller, became the first Nevada student to sign up for the state's new prepaid college tuition program at a kick-off event for the program Thursday at UNLV.

The program, which was pushed through the Legislature by Miller and State Treasurer Bob Seale, allows Nevada parents to pay their children's college tuition in up-front installments.

"As parents, our greatest dream is to secure a happy and productive life for our children," Miller said at the Richard Tam Alumni Center. "The prepaid tuition program is a step for parents that are concerned with the rising prices of education."

The plan covers the cost of four years of in-state tuition at a Nevada community college or university at current prices.

At this time four year's worth of tuition at UNLV and University of Nevada, Reno for a resident is around $8,400. By joining the program parents will pay that amount or less depending on the age of their child.

"The plan allows us to provide education in the future at today's prices," Seale said. "When you think about it and look 18 years down the road this is an easy way to take a bite out of a big cost."

The student can use the plan to go to any university in the country but it will only cover what it would have cost that student to go to school in Nevada for four years.

Seale clarified this part of the plan.

"As an example if $22,000 was covered in Nevada tuition that amount could be applied to tuition at Harvard, but it would not cover the entire tuition for Harvard," Seale said.

Every year the program will be open for enrollment for six weeks, with this year's session running from Oct. 1 through Nov. 16.

Nevada is the 17th state to enact a prepaid tuition plan.