ROCK HILL—York Technical College officials cited the need to continue providing quality education to a growing number of students and shrinking budgets as key factors in their decision to increase tuition for the 2008-2009 academic year. Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester, full-time tuition for York County residents will increase to $1,554. This represents a $60 per semester tuition increase. Out-of-county tuition for full-time students will increase to $1,728, while out-of-state tuition will rise to $3,576.

Even with the additional revenue, college officials are facing a tight budget for the upcoming academic year, said Tony Vaughan, Chair of the York Technical College Area Commission. The fiscal year 2008-2009 General Appropriations Bill passed last month by the General Assembly reduces the amount of funding available to the state’s technical colleges by about 3 percent.  

Vaughan also said the college is facing greater operating costs associated with record-high energy costs and with the need to serve an increasing number of students.  "More students are choosing to pursue their higher education and career goals at York Tech," said Vaughan. "But with this growth in enrollment comes a significant increase in the cost of providing quality education.“

For the 2007-2008 academic year that ends on June 30, enrollment in the college's credit programs is projected to top 7,252 students—an increase of 12 percent from the previous academic year.

Earlier this year, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education voted to increase the tuition ceiling for the state's 16 technical colleges to $1,668 per semester.  The State Board has not set the tuition ceiling for fall 2008.

"We are very aware of the financial burden many of our students are under and we are always looking for ways to help them," said York Technical College President Dr. Greg Rutherford. "That's why we were so pleased we were able to hold tuition steady last year. That just wasn't possible this year."

Over the past two years the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI)—an inflation measure for schools, colleges and libraries—has risen by approximately 8.4 percent.  By comparison, the cost of tuition at York Technical College for the same period is about one half of the HEPI amount.  

The actual impact the tuition increase will have on students when classes begin in the fall will not be clear until the amount of lottery tuition assistance funding is established by the Commission on Higher Education and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education. Currently, the maximum amount of lottery-funded tuition assistance is $840 per semester for full-time students and $70 per credit hour for eligible part-time students.