HCC Ponders Tuition Hike

The Sun says community college officials are talking about raising the $114 per credit tuition charge perhaps as much as $5 a credit, in part to cover pay raises for staff.

College board chairman T. James Truby noted the school "sustained state budget cuts each of the last three fiscal years," the Sun reported.

Although Truby did not specify an amount for a possible pay raise, an internal college staff committee has recommended a 6.5 percent increase, plus free tuition at the school for the dependents, spouses and domestic partners of staff members. [College president Kate] Hetherington noted, however, that the same committee recommended 9.5 percent more for this fiscal year, when no raise was granted.

Howard Community College's tuition is among the highest in Maryland, and $17 per credit of it goes to pay for interest on capital building projects and for financial aid to needy students. Requests for aid are up 40 percent, Truby said, and enrollment is also rising, as students realize community college is cheaper than a four-year institution.