Q: I am creating a new certificate program on Leadership (face-to-face) and would like to identify pricing. Currently, it will be a two month offering, but in the early stages of development. It will be offered potentially within an 8 or 12 week period, 2.5 hours per session. The classes are noncredit, with the tentative option to transfer into a credit degree program (not yet decided). Can LERN assist with information on how to determine price for this certificate?
A: As with any other pricing questions there are some basic considerations, regardless of the type of program. The program needs to be priced so meet the targeted budget. To determine what your pricing formula should be here is what you should do:
1. Determine your promotion costs (cost of printing and mailing your brochure). The promotion cost should not be more than 15% of your anticipated income.
2. Determine your production costs. This is the cost you will incur for instructor compensation, prep time, etc,. This should not be more than 35% of your anticipated income.
3. This means that your certificate programs should be priced to make at least a 50% to 55% operating margin.
Once you know what your budget goal is, you need to project the number of people who will sign up. Estimate conservatively, and divide this number into your total budget figure. This will tell you how much to price your program overall.
For example. If your budget goal for a single course in your program is $5000 and you anticipate 100 enrollments, the price for that course would be $500. The best pricing strategy is to price courses so that fees end in 45 or 95. Thus you could price at $445, $495, or $545, depending upon your assessment of demand.
In addition, you should price the complete package (all the courses required for the certificate) at a discount over the prices of individual courses. So, you might price the an individual course at $495 and price so that the package price is $445 per course.