Holding the line on college admission costs
The following is an announcement from the college:
“Tri-County Technical College students will not see an increase in tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year. At a bi-monthly meeting held today (April 4), College Commissioners voted unanimously to freeze tuition for the third consecutive year.
In addition to the tuition freeze, Tri-County will continue to offer zero-cost tuition to eligible students through the 2022-2023 academic year. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a high-demand field such as health care, manufacturing, hospitality/tourism, construction, transportation, distribution and logistics, criminal justice, early care and education, and human services. They must also maintain a 2.0 GPA, complete a 2022-2023 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and complete one of the following requirements: be employed, take a financial literacy course offered at the technical college, or complete 100 hours of community service.
“Our focus is to put students first, so making college accessible and affordable to all citizens in the tri-county service area is our priority,” said TCTC President Dr. Galen DeHay. “A steady tuition rate, along with scholarships available through the TCTC Foundation, lottery tuition assistance, and other state and federal funding will help with the financial challenges students and their families face when attending college,” he said.
Tri-County’s tuition is the second lowest among all 16 technical colleges in the state and the lowest in the Upstate. A two-year degree at Tri-County costs roughly less than one semester at a four-year college or university.
“Making education accessible and affordable has been TCTC’s mission since its inception,” said Tom Strange, chair of the TCTC Commission. Despite the many challenges presented by the global pandemic over the past two years, the College kept an unwavering focus on serving its students and the community, he said. “We are pleased to be able to not raise our tuition rates for the upcoming academic year and urge students to take advantage of the broad range of financial aid and scholarships that support their education.”
The commission also discussed course material fees and unanimously voted to increase the current $150 fee per course to $200.
Tuition rates are published on Tri-County’s website. Rates are based on residency and the number of credit hours taken per semester. Increases in tuition are typically based on an evaluation of the Higher Education Price Index, an inflation index designed specifically for higher education institutions and other operational funding needs.”