Archive for Tuition

IN ONLY EIGHT MINUTES, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS OR COMMENT, DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES ACROSS THE BOARD TUITION INCREASES WHILE SLASHING CERTAIN DISCOUNTS

First tier General Ed up 5%; Second tier lab courses up by 6%, CTE  Allied Health programs jump by 7%; Nursing getting $25 per credit added; upper division nursing will pay $38 more per credit; high school students taking concurrent courses have existing discount slashed from 50% to 25%

Tuition increases at Yavapai Community College are annually approved by the District Governing Board with little significant questioning or commentary. The meeting on November 26, concerning the requested tuition increase for the 2024-2025 academic year, was no exception.

The College, evidently in need of more funds as it plans to spend millions expanding the Prescott Campus and its three west county centers, proposed major across-the-board tuition hikes. It also proposed slashing or eliminating some discounts now deemed too costly to maintain.

The increases vary: General Education courses, labeled as “tier one” in the three-tier rate system, will see a 5% hike. “Lab courses” in tier two will experience a 6% increase. The Career and Technical Education courses, along with Allied Health offerings, are set for a 7% rise.

The basic nursing courses, typically filled to capacity, will see an increase of $25 per course. Online upper-division classes will be raised by $38 per credit, exceeding the College’s initial tuition projections. The upper-division nursing program is set to begin in fall 2024.

High school students enrolled in concurrent high school and Community College courses will see their existing 50% discount reduced to 25%. The program that allowed students taking 12 full-time classes in a semester to take additional classes for free was discontinued due to perceived overuse.

It took the Governing Board only about eight minutes to approve the College’s proposal. None of the Board members, except Mr. Sigafoos, posed any inquiries or made notable comments during the vote to approve the increases.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE UPDATES TUITION WAIVER POLICY FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

Allows full-time faculty and staff (and the Blog assumes their dependents) to take as many credits as they need without having to pay tuition; Part-time faculty and staff also will benefit by 6 credit per semester waiver

Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine has announced a tuition waiver update for faculty and staff. It was not clear whether the benefit is immediately available or faculty and staff must wait until spring 2024.

According to a video message sent to faculty, full-time faculty and staff will have the current 6-credit cap per semester removed. This means that full-time employees (and the Blog assumes their dependents) will be able to take as many credits as they need using the tuition waiver.

Regular part-time staff will be eligible for a tuition waiver of 6 credits per semester for the employee and 6 credits per semester for dependents.

Casual part-time staff may earn eligibility for the first time as of April 1,2024. To qualify, they will need to have worked at Yavapai Community College  for one year or more and have a minimum of 500 hours of work in the 12 months prior to April 1, 2024.

DREAMERS NOW HAVE ACCESS TO YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN-STATE TUITION AND FINANCIAL AID

Proposition 308 passed in November ensures that any Arizonan, regardless of immigration status, who has graduated from an Arizona high school and has lived in the state for two consecutive years, is granted in-state tuition at its colleges and universities

Arizona voters narrowly passed Proposition 308 in November. Proposition 308  allows undocumented students both access to in-state tuition rates and state-funded financial aid.

It is of particular importance to “Dreamers.” These are persons who entered the United States without legal permission as children. Many of them came from Mexico and other Latin American countries and consider themselves American, having grown up and possibly only speaking English in the United States. Some may not have even been aware of their unauthorized immigrant status until they were older and unable to obtain a driver’s license or financial aid for college due to their lack of a Social Security number.

Though it passed by less than 60,000 votes, the change in treatment of undocumented immigrants  is a significant one.  Recall that in 2006, Arizona voters passed Proposition 300, which did the opposite. It  prohibited  undocumented students from receiving in-state tuition and financial aid.

According to experts, until this vote, Arizona was one of three states, including Georgia and Indiana, to specifically block undocumented students’ access to cheaper in-state tuition – making it one of the most draconian policies in the country. (Alabama and South Carolina both go a step further: prohibiting undocumented students from enrolling in any public postsecondary institution whatsoever, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.)

Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine has made no public comment regarding the passage of Proposition 8.  However, the Chancellor of the Maricopa Arizona Community College District, Dr.  Steven R. Gonzales, applauded the decision by Arizona voters.

Dr. Gonzales said:  “Throughout the years, MCCCD has fought to provide Arizona’s most affordable tuition for high quality associate’s degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and workforce training to all in-state students regardless of their immigration status. The passage of Proposition 308 will allow thousands of Arizona DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) students to pursue their dream of obtaining a higher education, and we look forward to serving them.”

Proposition 308 makes higher education more affordable and attainable for DACA students entering college for the first time or returning to college to learn new skills and re-enter the workforce.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE INCREASES TUITION OVERALL BY AROUND FIVE PERCENT

Increase generally consistent with last few years; tuition and fees help pay off revenue bonds

The Yavapai Community College won approval from the Community College Governing Board at its Tuesday, October 18 meeting, to increase tuition  in general by around five percent.  The increase is similar to past tuition  increases.

Tuition and fees are one of the sources for paying off revenue bonds that are issued without taxpayer approval.  These bonds, for example, were used to help finance renovation of student housing on the Prescott Campus.

Fixed wing aviation fees of $525 per credit hour (not listed by College in its press release) are collected primarily from veterans who the Blog has been led to believe make up more than a majority of students taking the training.

The increases, according to the College press  release appear below. Because the College did not list the tuition for its aviation program in its press release, the Blog had added that amount to the list  below:

  • In-State tuition
    • Tier 1 (base/general education): +$5 ($103 per credit)
    • Tier 2 (lab-based): +$6 ($119 per credit)
    • Tier 3 (CTE/allied health): +$6 ($132 per credit)
  • Market Based
    • Commercial Driver Training +10 ($210 per credit)
    • Nursing +$8 ($168 per credit)
  • Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition
    • Tier 1 (base/general education): +$8 ($155 per credit)
    • Tier 2 (lab-based): +$9 ($179 per credit)
    • Tier 3 (CTE/allied health): +$8 ($196 per credit)
  • General fees
    • No changes to any general fees
  • Course Fees
    • Aviation Fixed Wing Pilot +2.5% ($525 per credit hour now)
  • Auxiliaries
    • Residence Halls +1% ($56 per year)
    • Meal Plan +3% ($130 per year)
    • Family Enrichment Center +5% ($49 per month for full-time)
    • Sources:  Governing Board meeting October 18, 2022; Yavapai Community College Press release dated October 19, 2022. 

COMMUNITY COLLEGES THROUGHOUT ARIZONA JOINING YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S LEAD IN OFFERING FREE TUITION; PINAL COUNTY CLAIMS 39% ENROLLMENT INCREASE IN ONE YEAR EXPERIMENT OFFERING FREE TUITION

Maricopa latest to offer free tuition and other stipends because of $7 million dollar grant from the City of Phoenix

In February 2019 Yavapai Community College announced that it had initiated a tuition free scholarship program for Yavapai County residents beginning in the fall 2019. In theory, every high school graduate seeking a two-year degree in Yavapai County could attend the Community College tuition free. The College goals driving what it labeled the Promise Scholarship Program were twofold: First, the College wanted to increase its market for college bound students. Second, it wanted to encourage students to complete and obtain a degree in a two-year period. (See Blog of February 21, 2019).

In a June 15, 2022 press release, Yavapai Community College announced that it was expanding student tuition free tuition opportunities for Yavapai residents via a new program it called “Workforce Promise.” The new program expanded free tuition to eligible students studying in many more areas than it did when it first began offering free tuition in its “Promise” program back in 2019. (See Blog of June 17, 2022). Of significance, is that beginning in the fall 2022, the Community College Workforce Promise Program will offer students, of any age, the chance to earn a degree in a variety of trades, tuition-free.

On July 28, 2022, it was learned that eligible students at Maricopa Community Colleges could receive free tuition, books, and even monthly stipends to help cover transportation and childcare costs beginning the fall, 2022.  Students must be Maricopa County residents. The funds were made available by a partnership with the Colleges and the City of Phoenix, which  is using $7 million of its federal rescue funds to support the new program, which is called “Route to Relief.”

The Route to Relief is meant for Maricopa County residents who lost income or jobs during the pandemic or stopped working to care for a child or sick household member. More than 100 programs across 10 Maricopa Community Colleges are eligible for funding. Eligible students can get up to $5,000 for tuition, fees and books. Training-related expenses, job search expenses and career services in programs like semiconductor, health care, business, manufacturing and information technology also are covered.

Students can also get monthly stipends during their studies of up to $1,000-$1,500 for expenses like child care and transportation.

Maricopa Community College also said it was establishing a new program called Semiconductor Technician Quick Start. It was described as a two-week Community College training experience to provide skills needed to work in semiconductor manufacturing fabrication. It was intended to meet an anticipated need from companies like Intel and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing that  are opening new facilities in Phoenix, while many local and state leaders continue to promote the Phoenix area as an international hub for semiconductor manufacturing.

Central Arizona Community College in Pinal College reported in July that in the first year of its experiment with waiving tuition to Pinal County residents there was  a 39% increase in students compared with the previous year, and an 88% increase in new students. For the past year, Central Arizona College in Pinal County waived tuition for any resident of the state’s third largest county. That covered  classes for the fall, spring and summer terms. Courses for the upcoming school year are discounted.

Administrators at Central Arizona Community College saw free college an as experiment to reengage students and combat the trend of plummeting enrollments at many community colleges in Arizona and nationwide. Students saw it as a huge relief.

For more detailed information regarding the Maricopa Community Colleges program see Christina Estes, Arizona Republic, July 29, 2022, https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2022/07/25/maricopa-community-colleges-offer-free-tuition-some-students/10145970002/.  For more detailed information regarding the Pinal County experiment, see Alison Steinbach, Arizona Republic, August 2, 2022 https://arizonarepublic-az.newsmemory.com/?publink=249ebaf7d_13485a6.

NAU TO PROVIDE FREE TUITION TO ALL STUDENTS WITH HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF $65,000 OR LESS; PROGRAM APPEARS AT LEAST IN PART AIMED AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Yavapai Community College initiated a tuition free scholarship program beginning in the fall 2019 for full-time students who complete their degree in two years | Yavapai to expand program to some CTE next year | Most of tuition is paid via Federal Pell program

Starting in fall 2023, Northern Arizona University (NAU) will implement  a  new financial aid initiative to cover tuition expenses for every Arizona student who is admitted to the university and has a household income of $65,000 or less.  To qualify, students must be Arizona residents. They also need to meet NAU admission requirements and have a household income of $65,000 or below.

NAU students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to determine their family income. If they qualify for FAFSA, the Federal Government grant program will most likely be used to pay most if not all the tuition. However, it is unclear how much tuition might not be covered by FAFSA.

Online students won’t qualify for the NAU tuition free program regardless of where they live.

According to Anika Olsen, NAU’s vice president for enrollment management, this is the first financial aid program that’s applied to both Flagstaff and statewide locations. She told the Arizona Republic newspaper that she expects it will appeal to community college students who had wanted to transfer to NAU but didn’t due to costs.  

The current requirements for the Yavapai Community College Promise Program appear below as described by the College on its web.  The College is expanding this program to cover some Career and Technical Education programs next year.

The Yavapai Community College Promise is a financial aid program offering Yavapai County residents who complete their high school diploma or Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED) an opportunity to earn a tuition-free degree at Yavapai College, if they complete the degree within seven semesters after graduation. It provides eligible students a last dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition not otherwise covered by Federal, State, Yavapai College, or other 3rd party (egs. high school, Yavapai College Foundation, Tribe, employer) grants, discounts, or scholarships.

Provides tuition reimbursement when eligible students complete their degree within seven semesters of their high school or GED graduation

Does not reimburse other related expenses including, but not limited to, books, course and program fees, or other cost of living expenses such as transportation, food, and housing

Reimburses eligible students for the tuition they paid to Yavapai College after all other gift aid has been credited toward tuition. “Gift aid” is defined as Federal, State, Yavapai College, or 3rd party grants, discounts or scholarships. In other words, Yavapai Community College will reimburse qualified students for any out of pocket expenses they incurred to pay for Yavapai Community College tuition.

When the student completes an Associate Degree, the Yavapai Community College Promise Scholarship will reimburse up to 61 credits of the tuition paid by the student.

Courses must have been paid for by the student or the student’s family, not any other source including Federal Government, State Government, Yavapai Community College, or other 3rd party (e.g., Yavapai College Foundation, high school, Tribe, employer)

Courses must have been taken from YCC (reimbursement does not apply for transfer credits) after high school graduation or GED completion

No reimbursements for repeated courses

No reimbursements for Developmental Education credits

Credits are reimbursed at the rate paid, not the current rate

Aerospace Science majors and courses are not eligible (including Fixed Wing, Rotor, Unmanned, and Air Traffic)

Students are responsible to pay all their expenses up front (tuition and fees, books, cost of living). Payment plan options are available.

Source:  Alison Steinbach,  Arizona Republic, April 30, 2022, p. 1.; Yavapai Community College Registration website.

EIGHT-YEAR OLD STUDENT LOAN PRACTICE LAWSUIT YIELDS $1.8 BILLION SETTLEMENT

2,200 Arizona student borrowers may receive $54 million in debt relief; 12,400 will receive over $3.3 million in restitution

The Arizona Attorney General’s office announced January 20, 2022 that thousands of Arizona student borrowers are expected to receive over $54 million in debt relief because of the settlement of an eight-year-old lawsuit with Navient.  Navient, once called Sallie Mae, was alleged to have used unfair, predatory, and deceptive student loan servicing practices.  Navient has denied the allegations.

It is also anticipated that 12,400 Arizonans will receive over $3.3 million in restitution under the proposed court settlement, according to Arizona’s Attorney General’s office.

In a statement, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said that “It’s disappointing how Navient took advantage of distressed loan borrowers who were simply trying to get an education to better their lives.” 

Navient is one of the nation’s largest loan services and the settlement still needs court approval. 

Of particular interest to Arizona, because is has so many for-profit schools, is the claim that  Navient provided predatory subprime private loans to students at these schools with low graduation rate while knowing many of those borrowers could not replay them.

Source:  Arizona Republic, January 20, 2022.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE REDUCING TUITION FOR ONLINE CONCURRENT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS BY 50% FOR THE UPCOMING 2022-2023 ACADEMIC YEAR

District Governing Board  unanimously approved  discount at its monthly Board meeting on Tuesday

High school students taking online courses from Yavapai Community College.

At its meeting last Tuesday, the Yavapai Community College Governing Board unanimously approved a 50% discount for high school students who are taking  online courses offered by the College.   The 50% tuition discount reduces  the high school student tuition payable to Yavapai Community College to about $50 per credit for a tier one course  (lab and market-based classes prices will differ).

In the College’s recent press release on this subject, president Dr. Lisa Rhine said that “Education should be accessible and affordable for everyone, and at Yavapai College, we strive to make that a reality.  High school students who take college classes get a significant jumpstart on completing their educational goals at a faster, higher success rate.”

In addition to the new concurrent enrollment discount, the Community College will offer  discounts for:

  • Senior Citizens 65+ (50% discount)
  • Out of State Athletes (50% discount)
  • High School Students taking Dual Credit Classes — college credit classes taught at high schools by high school teachers  ( about 90% discount)
Source:  Press release by Yavapai Community College authored by reporter Tyler Rumsey, November 9, 2021   https://www.yc.edu/v6/news/2021/11/post.html.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD VOTES 3-2 TO INCREASE 2022-23 STUDENT TUITION BY ABOUT 3%

Chevalier argues that a portion of the $3 million Fed funds for Covid-19 relief surplus held by the College should be used to cover certain future expenses rather than increase student tuition

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board met Tuesday, October 19 to decide whether to increase student tuition for the 2022-23 academic year. The early decision on tuition is made  necessary because the College  begins to “package” financial aid material in November of this year.

 After about a 20 minute discussion, the Board voted 3-2 to approve the Administration’s request of an average  3% tuition increase covering all three tiers of classes offered at the College.  Third District Governing Board representative Paul Chevalier and Fourth District representative Chris Kuknyo voted against the increase.

Mr. Chevalier argued that unless there were restrictions on the use of the approximate $3 million of “surplus” unspent Covid-19 Federal relief funds now in the College’s hands, a portion of that money should be applied to the budget rather than increase tuition for 2022-2023.  The Administration responded to Mr. Chevalier asserting that it was not certain about whether a portion of the $3 million could be used to cover the tuition increase. Moreover, it  felt it was a bad idea to use one-time excess funds to cover annual operating costs.

 The Community College estimates the increased tuition will result in additional revenue of about $268,000 from that source of unrestricted income.

You may view a portion of the discussion about the budget and the need to increase tuition in the edited video clip below.

TOTAL BUDGET FOR UNRESTRICTED EXPENSES AT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE ESTIMATED TO INCREASE BY $2.34 MILLION IN 2022-23; 2% TAX RATE INCREASE POSSIBLE

College considering employee base salary increase of 2%, Employee bonus program adding  $764,000, and employee benefits to increase by 5%  – Special Initiatives and Promise program will cost an additional  $950,000.  County Property Tax levy rate hike will probably be asked for by the Administration in May 2022

The Yavapai Community College Administration rolled out its first budget estimates for the 2022-23 academic year at the October 19, 2021 Governing Board meeting.  The purpose was to provide overall estimates of changes in the 2022-23 budget while specifically setting the tuition rate at this meeting.

During the Administration’s presentation, it said  that it will most likely be asking for a 2% increase in the County primary property tax levy at the  May 2022 Governing Board meeting.  It will also most likely be asking to increase staff and faculty base salaries automatically by 2% and establish a 2% employee bonus program it calls “gainshare.” 

Its Special Initiatives and Promise programs will cost an additional $950,000.

The Administration noted that because enrollment has declined by 11% the State of Arizona’s contribution to the College is anticipated to go down by $282,000. Fourth District Representative Chris Kuknyo inquired about  the State providing additional funding to the Community College because it had received so much Covid money  from the Federal Government.  The Administration agreed that was something the Community Colleges could lobby for. 

The only final decision made at the Governing Board meeting regarding finances was establishing a tuition rate increase of on average three percent per credit hour.

Although the tuition rate is set by Board action at this meeting, the remaining information supplied the Board is all based on assumptions.  The final budget will be approved by the Board in May 2022 and some of the assumptions and requests for funding various portions of the budget may change by that date.