Tuition increases for 2019-20 and 2020-21
By: Aubrie Lawrence
In a meeting on Tuesday, June 18, the Nebraska State College System board of trustees voted to raise the price of tuition and fees for the next two years.
According to a June 18 NSCS press release, all full-time students of state colleges will now pay an additional $4.50 per credit hour for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.
“I think our board was very clear that they wanted to be as conservative with that as they could be,” Said President Randy Rhine. “I think it’s a very conservative increase.”
In that same press release, the 2.54 and 2.48 percent increases are still recorded to be the lowest increases implemented since the 2014-2015 academic school year. Because of the support of the Governor and Legislation and their ability to increase the general fund appropriations by 3.7 percent for each fiscal year of the biennium state schools will continue to be affordable compared to other schools across the state. The general fund appropriation covers most of the cost of the NSCS’s core needs, while tuition will continue to help with the rest.
“The Board felt that it is important to set the tuition rate for two years to provide stability for our students and their families,” said Gary Bieganski, Chair of the NSCS Board, in the press release. “Our state colleges are and will continue to be the most affordable and accessible option for Nebraska students to receive a high-quality four-year postsecondary education.”
“I don’t expect that it is an amount that is going to have a negative impact on our enrollment,” Said Rhine. “When you look at the total cost of education to attend Chadron versus our peer institutions around the region, we are very competitively priced. We are a pretty good value proposition and I think that will continue.”
“The Governor’s and Legislature’s commitment this year will ensure that the State Colleges remain an affordable 4-year degree option for students in Nebraska as it helps maintain the distribution between state and student cost of attendance,” said Paul Turman NSCS Chancellor in the June 18 press release. “Maintaining this critical balance is a top priority for the Board of Trustees as they weigh tuition increases each year.”
“We are still concerned about the cost of education for our students and I think our board is certainly concerned about that and wants to make sure that we remain affordable.” Said Rhine. “The benefit to campus is that it allows us to operate at the level that we need to operate at and fund the things that need funding. The bottom line, for me, is that it allows us to continue to provide students with quality education.”