Harford County Community College tuition is proposed to go up by 2.4 percent beginning in July, but college officials hope to be able to cap the increase at 2 percent, just as Gov. Larry Hogan is proposing for four-year state colleges.
“If the state adds more money than anticipated, I would hope to hold tuition to the 2 percent [Hogan] is holding four-year colleges to,” HCC Board of Trustees Chairman Richard Norling said during the college board’s Jan. 10 meeting, where the latest tuition increase and next year’s budget were approved.
“The 16 community colleges in Maryland educate half the freshmen and sophomores in the state, about 500,000 students,” Norling said.
As reported by The Baltimore Sun,
The cap proposed by Hogan does not apply to Maryland’s 16 community colleges, Norling said, and it still must be approved by the Maryland General Assembly. Hogan proposed a similar cap last year.
State funding for HCC next year is expected to be flat again, Norling said, as it was this year, but if it turns out to be more, he said he would like to see that amount applied to a lesser tuition increase. Or he’d like the cap to apply to two-year colleges, as well.
The $3 per credit hour tuition proposed for next year was approved 8-0 by the trustees. as part of the college’s proposed $48.9 million budget for fiscal year 2018, which begins July 1 and must be submitted to Harford County Executive Barry Glassman for his review. Trustee John Haggerty was not at the meeting.
Tuition is to proposed to increase by $5 for students who live outside of Harford and by $7 for out-of-state students.
HCC’s current tuition rates are $124 per credit hour for county residents, $211 for non-Harford residents of Maryland and $298 for non-residents of Maryland. Students also pay a consolidated service fee of $24.80 per credit hour, according to the HCC website.
If next year’s tuition increases were to be capped at 2 percent, the in-county tuition would increase approximately $2.48 a credit hour, instead of $3.
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