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NANTICOKE — In approving a 2016-17 budget that increases tuition 4 percent, Luzerne County Community College released an explanation contending it “remains the most affordable among colleges and universities in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
Considering most other local schools are four-year institutions with steeper tuition, it’s easy to believe. But a better comparison might be made with the state’s other community colleges, and by that yardstick, LCCC’s tuition is mid-range at best.
The Board of Trustees approved an operating budget of about $43.9 million last week, up from $42 million for 2015-16. An additional $3.1 million was approved for the capital budget, of which the bulk — $2.06 million — is earmarked for debt service.
The budget boosts full-time tuition for one semester from $1,800 to $1,875 for residents of Luzerne County. The written statement released after the vote noted “a student can complete a two-year associate degree for $7,500 in tuition.”
Data from the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges shows that LCCC’s $1,800 rate for 2015-16 is higher than five of the nine community colleges for which semester tuition rates are listed.
For five other community colleges on the state list, tuition is only given per credit. LCCC’s per-credit rate in 2015-16 was $120 for residents; seven other colleges had higher rates. Per-credit fees ranged from a low of $94 at Northampton Community College based in Bethlehem to a high of $162.50 at Harrisburg Area Community College.
Along with increases in spending and tuition, LCCC announced an increase in scholarship and emergency fund money available from the LCCC Foundation. For the 2015-16 academic year, the foundation awarded $278,186. In 2016-17 the total allocated is $320,000, up 12.6 percent.
The statement also noted statistics from last fall show 80 percent of first-time, full-time students received some type of financial aid, with 59 percent getting federal Pell grants.
“As Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Community College, we are committed to keeping tuition increases to a minimum to maintain a quality, affordable and accessible education for all of our students,” President Thomas Leary said in the statement. “We are fortunate that we can keep our increase to a reasonable rate and still maintain our high quality programs and services.”
Salaries, benefits and an early retirement incentive make up 84.2 percent of total spending at $36.9 million. Another $4 million is marked as “other non-discretionary” spending for things like accreditation, bank fees, utilities and insurance. A bit under $2.9 million is listed as “discretionary” covering things like advertising, catalogs and repairs/renovations.
The biggest projected income source is tuition, topping $15 million when tuition from the new Scranton campus and from “early college” courses for high school students are added. Another $11.7 million is expected from the state, and $5.9 million more from Luzerne County.
