Community College Trustees Raise Tuition Costs To Balance Budget

The Bucks County Community College Board of Trustees have voted to increase tuition.

The increase of $5 a credit for county residents, which begins August 23, was approved in order to balance the budget for the upcoming academic year. The college noted in a recent press release that all other college-wide fees will remain unchanged.

Effective with the fall 2017 semester, tuition for county residents will increase from $140 to $145 a credit. Tuition for Pennsylvania residents who live outside of Bucks County will rise from $280 to $290 a credit, and tuition for out-of-state residents will increase from $420 to $435 a credit.

The increase means that a typical returning full-time student – a Bucks County resident taking 12 credits a semester – will pay $4,418 for 24 credits and fees for the 2017-18 academic year, an increase of $120, according to officials.

Dr. Stephanie Shanblatt, college president, noted that despite significant budget cutting over the last fiscal year, the slight increase is needed to maintain academic quality and services.

“The college made some very difficult decisions in crafting this budget. Bucks continues to be a great value with strong academic programs and dedicated faculty and staff,” Shanblatt said. “Support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and from the County of Bucks, the college’s local sponsor, helped keep the tuition increase to only 3.6%.”

Board chairman Thomas Skiffington added that the measure was taken after careful consideration of all financial options.

“As always, our primary goal is to minimize tuition increases, and to do so only as a last option,” Skiffington said. “We are extremely reluctant to raise tuition, but take this measure only after every action possible to reduce operating costs has been made while continuing to provide the high quality education that has earned Bucks a national reputation.”