WCC tuition increasing
By Staff Reports
Published in News on July 5, 2010 1:50 PM
Tuition will go up this fall at Wayne Community College but it "could have been worse," officials at the school say.
The State Board of Community Colleges approved the tuition increase on Thursday as part of the 2010-2011 state budget -- making the college's in-state charge $56.50 per credit hour, up from $50.
Beginning this fall, a full load of 16 credit hours will cost up to $904 per semester for state residents, and up to $3,976 for non-residents. Technology and activities fees will remain at $18 for one to five credit hours and $36 for more than five hours.
Dr. Kay Albertson, the president of Wayne Community College, said she was grateful that the increase was not more.
"This is a compromise figure handed us by the N.C. General Assembly. It could have been worse, but we knew there would be some increase to offset the costs of running our colleges," she said.
"The good news is that community colleges are still a bargain. We still provide a superb education at a cost that is many times lower than the universities and private colleges charge."
Despite the tuition hike, Wayne Community will not stray from its mission of training people for their career path, Mrs. Albertson said.
"While many educational institutions are having to cut back, we are going to provide the courses and training people need to move ahead, whether to further their education or their career or get new employment," she said.
She encouraged students to investigate financial aid and scholarship options -- on the college's website, www.waynecc.edu, and the College Foundation of North Carolina site at www.cfnc.org.
That's the way David Hood, a student in the college's transfer program, has been able to afford college.
"I'm getting a quality education and I have some inspiring instructors," he said, "but I wouldn't be able to pay for it if it weren't for financial aid."