11% increase in tuition proposed
3/10/2006 Business First Louisville
The board of regents of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System voted today to recommend an in-state tuition rate increase of 11 percent for the 2006-2007 academic year.
That would boost the rate per credit hour (including fees) to $109 from $98.
The board said the increase is needed to continue to meet mandates under the 1997 Post-secondary Education Improvement Act, and noted that according to a new set of benchmark states that was established by the Council on Post-Secondary Education, the Kentucky system ranks 18th out of 20 in public funding. The ranking, it added, indicates a $79 million gap in state appropriation relative to other states.
The board also recommended a $131 per credit hour tuition rate for out-of-state students from contiguous counties, and a $327 per credit hour rate for all other out-of-state students.
The statewide system consists of 16 colleges and 65 campuses.
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2006-07 tuition for KCTCS rises - Board approves 11% boost for in-state students
Writer: Art Jester
3/11/2006 Lexington Herald-Leader
VERSAILLES - In-state students will pay 11.2 percent more to attend Kentucky's community and technical colleges in the fall.
Tuition per credit hour for in-state students will be $109 in 2006-07, up from $98 in the current academic year.
The average student in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System takes 12 or 13 credit hours, said Ken Walker, KCTCS vice president for finance, facilities and human resources.
KCTCS has 81,082 in-state students out of a total enrollment of 84,931.
The KCTCS Board of Regents approved the increase yesterday in a meeting at KCTCS headquarters in Versailles.
Under reciprocal agreements with five states, KCTCS also charges in-state tuition at some of its community and technical colleges for students from some counties in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and West Virginia. There are currently 2,219 students in this category.
There will be bigger increases for out-of-state students not covered by reciprocal agreements:
* Out-of-state students from counties contiguous to Kentucky will pay $131 per credit hour in 2006-2007, up from the current $118.
* All other out-of-state students will pay $327 per credit hour next academic year, in contrast with $294 this year.
The board's vice chairman, Joe Wise of Louisville, cast the only dissenting vote on the tuition increase.
Wise said he voted "no" to "send a message to our legislators" that they need to appropriate more money for KCTCS and the state universities so they can avoid double-digit increases in tuition.
Christine Buckner, a student regent from Gateway Community and Technical College in Northern Kentucky, agreed with Wise, saying, "Somewhere, it has got to stop."
Students see that higher tuition pays for faculty and staff raises, she said, but some students question whether more tuition improves the quality of what they get in the classrooms.
"We all wish we didn't have to do this," said KCTCS board chairman Richard Bean of Louisville. "The reason we have to do it is, the state does not want to fund higher education."
"I hope there's a hue and cry not only from KCTCS students" but also from students at the state universities, Bean said.
Financial aid is provided to 52,000 KCTCS students of 71,000 who are eligible, Walker said. The average amount of financial aid is $2,085.
KCTCS in-state students experienced a 6.5 percent tuition increase for 2005-2006.
Last week, the University of Kentucky approved a 12 percent tuition increase for in-state entering freshmen and sophomores.
The University of Louisville is considering raising in-state tuition by 13 percent.
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