WCC freezes all tuition, fee rates for upcoming school year

Screenshot of materials presented at the board of trustees’ virtual meeting on April 28. Trustees voted to approve a 0% increase in tuition rates and fees for the 2020-21 school year. Lilly Kujawski | The Washtenaw Voice

By Lilly Kujawski

Editor

The WCC board of trustees voted unanimously to freeze all tuition rates and fees for the upcoming 2020-21 school year.

The trustees voted during their monthly meeting, held virtually on April 28.

“As an ongoing commitment to affordability and in recognition of the severe impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our students, the college is recommending no increase for fiscal-21 in any tuition rates and fees,” said Bill Johnson, chief financial officer for the college, during the meeting. “This will be the fourth year in a row that we are proposing to hold our in-district rate at $95 for on-campus students.”

The tuition and fee recommendation, a special report at the meeting, was intended as a discussion item only. WCC President Rose Bellanca asked the trustees to consider moving the recommendation to an action item and voting on it immediately.

The board moved it to an action item on the agenda and approved the recommendation.

Trustee Dave DeVarti said he thinks freezing tuition rates for the upcoming school year will be a benefit to students and help improve fall enrollment rates, a concern due to the COVID-19 crisis.

“I think it’s a very courageous proposal and I think it will mean a lot to our taxpayers that we’re taking this step at this time of economic distress,” DeVarti said at the meeting. “It’s very respectful to our students and our taxpayers.”

Tuition rates will remain as follows for the 2020-21 school year:

• $95 per credit hour for in-district students
• $164 per credit hour for out-of-district students
• $227 per credit hour for out-of-state students
• $268 per credit hour for international students
• $108 per credit hour for in-district distance learning students
• $117 per credit hour for out-of-district distance learning students
• $123 per credit hour for out-of-state distance learning students
• $124 per credit hour for international distancing learning students

Tuition rates for classes that switched to online delivery during the winter semester due to COVID-19 were unchanged.

Students could see some increases in tuition and fees in the 2021-22 school year. 

“We are proposing very modest increases starting next year,” Johnson said. The proposed increases for the 2021-22 school year are about $1-11 per credit hour, depending on district status. 

On April 28, the trustees only voted to approve the 0% increase for the coming 2020-21 school year. Tuition and fee proposals for subsequent school years will be voted on at future meetings.

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