Bidding On College Education

Wednesday, February 7th 2007, 10:54 am

By: News On 6

A school in Bartlesville is auctioning an education to the highest bidder. Oklahoma Wesleyan University is offering a year of tuition, room and board on eBay, and allowing bidders to set the price.

News On 6 reporter Chris Wright explains why the school decided to try the online auction.

Many parents of college age kids have dreamed of being able to set their children's tuition. Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville is now offering them the opportunity to do just that. A year of tuition, room and board is up for grabs on eBay. A yearâ€™s tuition usually costs $23,000, but the school hopes the auction will allow someone to attend Oklahoma Wesleyan for less. "Maybe give a student the opportunity to come to school at a greatly reduced cost, so we said let's try auctioning the year on eBay," says OWU Executive Vice President Robert Myers.

By now, almost everything has been offered on eBay, but officials for the online auction site say this is the first time a year at college has been bid on. It might turn out to be such a good deal though. The auction does not close until the 13th, but the bidding has already surpassed $17,000. "It will be very interesting to see how this goes. Since it's the first time it's been done, we're anxious to see how the bidding goes too."

The eBay auction has already created a buzz on campus. Only a little more than 1,000 students are enrolled at Oklahoma Wesleyan, and they say they appreciate the attention. "I think it's pretty awesome, it will put our school on the map," says Melissa Deyung, a junior at OWU. Suzanne McFadden, a senior agrees, "a lot of students are really interested in it, and check on it a lot. I think it's really cool, it's a different idea. It's a different way to reach a different kind of audience for us."

Still, there is no guarantee the highest bidder will actually attend Oklahoma Wesleyan. He or she must meet with academic advisors, who will determine whether or not the winner makes the grade.

Anyone is eligible to make a bid, but the winner will have a week to tell the school who will use the tuition.

To check out the lastest bid, check out OWU's item on eBay.