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.
