Potentially rising prices at Eastern University (MS in Data Science)

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I was told by someone at Eastern University that the cost of their MS in Data Science program, "has the potential to increase after this academic year", but, "they do not anticipate a large increase".

I don't know if it is possible to "lock in" a price since they do not charge the full program price up-font. From what I understand, you have to pay at the beginning of every new 7 week term. Again, I am not sure if the price can be locked-in?

I will be using a Federal Student Loan to pay for my classes at the beginning. It sounds like I will need to resubmit FAFSA forms every 7 week term period? Is this right? 

Does anyone here have any experience using a federal student loan with Eastern University specific to one of their graduate programs?

Looks like they held off tuition hikes for at least another year. 2021-2022 tuition rates holding steady per:
https://www.eastern.edu/sites/default/fi...212022.pdf

I noticed this is your first post on this website. Are you currently in a program with Eastern University yourself? If so, is it the MS in Data Science program?

Either way, thanks for the update on tuition costs.

I am not currently in a program at Eastern. Fast forward three days from now, I'll be starting the MS in Data Science on Monday.   The 2021 Spring 2 term starts, and I'll be attending the first course in the program. I am excited and nervous at the same time (Eleverson's experience).
I chose Eastern mostly because of the cost. The only other schools that have $10k degrees are GT MSA, and UT Austin MSDS (as far as I know). I ruled out GT because I don't want "analytics" in my degree title, and I don't want to take business courses. UT is rather intriguing. But their website says that course material is released weekly. That might mean group assignments, etc, which means synchronizing with others, and I have no time for that.  I like the self-paced format that Eastern offers. I'm a working professional, so I don't need to learn how to work in groups, I just need to learn data science.
I noticed there is a lot of interest in the community on how the courses are at Eastern, so I can be another data point once I start.
Now I'm curious, I've seen your other posts and you mention that you're still deciding. Is Eastern still on your shortlist?

Eleverson's posts caused me to take a step back and not pull the trigger immediately. After a little time had passed I then decided to take a second look because of the price. I sent private messages here and on other sites to people asking about their experience with Eastern's MS in Data Science program. This new positive feedback caused me to reconsider everything.

The format of Eastern's classes is appealing to me. I might take a month or two off between certain classes based on travel/job reasons. I can pick everything right back up when I am ready. That is not a problem at Eastern University. With WGU I feel more like time and money are being burned if I cannot take full advantage of each 6 month term. I won't have the chance to truly accelerate and with that the cost advantage of WGU is not there.

I too do not want a degree with "Analytics" in the title which is another reason I am no longer considering WGU. Not doing group projects is plus for me as well at Eastern.

To answer your question, Eastern University is on my shortlist. I will probably begin in the next few months. I have not started yet for a number of reasons. Among those reasons, I wanted to get a few certifications first.

Best of luck to you when you begin here soon. You don't have to review every class here, but it would be nice to hear your thoughts/feedback. When I begin I will try to do the same. If it does not workout then I will not be afraid to publicly share if I have made a bad choice. I will simply cut bait and start over elsewhere.