ROCK HILL—York Technical College officials cited the need to continue providing quality education to a growing number of students as a key factor in their decision to increase tuition for the 2006-2007 academic year. Beginning with the Fall 2006 Semester, full-time tuition for York County residents will increase by 3 percent to $1,494 (12 or more credit hours) or $125 per credit hour. Out-of-county tuition for full-time students will increase to $1,656 or $138 per credit hour, while out-of-state tuition for full-time students will rise to $3,432 or $286 per credit hour.

The additional revenue will be used to help serve the increasing number of students enrolling at the college. For the 2005-2006 academic year that ends June 30, enrollment in the college's credit programs topped 6,185 students—an increase of 7 percent from the previous academic year.

"We are very pleased that more students are choosing to pursue their higher education goals at our institution, and we anticipate that trend will continue," said York Technical College President Dr. Dennis Merrell.  "As we grow, so does the cost of providing students with the opportunity for a quality education. Asking students to shoulder a greater share of the cost of their college education is an unavoidable reality in today's world of post-secondary education," said Merrell.

Faced with rising energy costs and with more students seeking a college education, the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education in May voted to increase the tuition ceiling for the state's 16 technical colleges to $1,560 dollars per semester, a 3.9 percent increase.  

Even with the additional revenue, college officials are facing an extremely tight budget for the upcoming academic year. "In our budgeting process, we require all of our program managers to look for ways to reduce operating costs for the coming year and to provide a written justification for any requested funding exceeding their current budget allocation.

What impact the tuition increase will actually have on students when fall classes begin on August 21 is not clear at this point. College officials are waiting for information from the Commission on Higher Education and the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education on the amount of lottery tuition assistance that will be made available to students who attend any of the state’s 16 technical colleges.

"The amount of lottery tuition assistance for the Fall 2006 Semester has not yet been determined," said Sherry Glenn, Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. This past year, the maximum amount of lottery-funded tuition assistance was $936 per semester for full-time students (12 or more credit hours) and $78 per credit hour for eligible part-time students.