By By Lana Lagomarsini, News Correspondent

In economic times like these, students don’t need to give up a costly private education ‘- just a traditional campus.
Many private colleges, including Northeastern, have started to institute and broaden daytime programs available on satellite campuses to commuter or part-time students for a reduced rate. In addition to its main campus in Back Bay, Northeastern has satellite campuses in the Boston financial district, Dedham and Burlington. Students can pay by the course under the College of Professional Studies, which began in 1960 as a night school. It was broadened to include graduate programs and online schooling in 2004.
The University of Southern New Hampshire has also established a day school at its satellite campuses in Nashua and Salem, having classes housed in a single building with bare bones classrooms.
‘[The satellite schools are] no frills ‘hellip; they are for a student looking for a more affordable experience,” said Karen Goodman, director of continuing education at the Nashua center for the University of Southern New Hampshire.
Goodman said the satellite campuses educate mostly part-time and older ‘career-changers’ who have more responsibilities in life than just school, like work or children, or for those looking to complete a degree.
‘It’s [the satellite campus] for students who weren’t ready to go to a larger campus,’ Goodman said.
The students at the satellite campuses have access to the main campus amenities, like student groups or the gym for a small fee, Goodman said.
Still, for some students, college is an experience that includes not only academics, but the campus life and sense of community that comes with living on a campus.
‘Even though I don’t use the school facilities as much as I should, I think they foster a sense of community,’ said Teal Martz, a middler English major.
University spokesperson Mike Armini said that while some students feel a grassy campus and non-academic buildings are essentials, satellite campuses are as academically strong as their main campus counterparts. Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies does not offer as many majors as the Boston campus, although many of the majors it does offer are available through online classrooms as well as nightly. The college also offers graduate as well as undergrad, doctoral and masters degrees.
Some students said that while they would prefer a large campus during their four years of undergraduate studies, they could see themselves taking online courses or attending satellite campuses later in life.
‘I would consider going [to a satellite] for grad school, but not for undergrad,’ said Beth Boorman, a middler international affairs and political science major.
Although Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies was started in the 1960s, the University of Southern New Hampshire opened its doors at its Nashua satellite in fall 2008.
‘We have offered night programs to students for 25 years, but we just recently began to use the building during the day as well,’ Goodman said.
The decision to add daytime classes to the Nashua campus was to help students afford their classes and not have to drop out because of financial constraints, Goodman said. Armini said Northeastern is trying to dole out more financial aid for students who may be in a financial bind and will continue to broaden the options at the satellite campuses.
‘Northeastern has all the options’ Armini said.