Community College Tuition Rising Significantly
By Neil Gonzales/Oakland Tribune
Graduating from a community college – traditionally the only affordable avenue available for underprivileged students seeking higher education – is increasingly becoming out of reach for many students because of rising tuition, according to a new study. The findings by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a San Jose-based nonprofit, come as the state has increased the community college enrollment fee from $26 to $36 per unit effective this fall semester. “Yes, community college is getting harder and harder to afford,” said Kathy Blackwood, chief financial officer for the San Mateo County Community College District, adding that the fee could go up to $46 per unit in the spring if the projected revenues in the new state budget don’t materialize. (more…
This is not good. If community college tuition is increasing rapidly and it would be harder for students to enroll, what help can we give these students. I hope there would be a solution for this. There are lots of students there who wants to graduate but there are lots of hindrances too. I hope all of this could be resolved. Even not entirely but gradually resolve it.
This is a negative issue, it saddens our youth of today who are really determined in getting into college and finish their studies. Community college is one of their avenue of finding a good education that may offer less on expenses but great in quality. Hope the government can do something about this and provide a better solution on this hurdles we are facing right now. Knowledge is power so don’t take that away from those that are deserving and interested.
I’m going to assume this comment:
“Even with the fee increase and other costs totaling about $1,000 a semester”
Means the total cost of CC is now around $1,000 per semester (as opposed to that’s the total increase, which seems hard to believe). Given that, we’re talking of around $2,000 per annum for enrolling at community college. Considering most of the programs there are just one or two years, this remains a remarkably affordable alternative to university.
This is a natural extension of what is happening everywhere. Certainly, the community colleges are in no way exempt from the cost-cutting bureaucrats. Thank you for this enlightening, albeit disheartening eye-opener.