Tuition at East Mississippi Community College is going up.
Tuition has been $1,100 per semester the past several years. This school year it is increasing to $1,200 per semester, Paul Miller, executive vice president of EMCC, told The Dispatch this morning.
The reason for the increase is that state appropriations are behind in terms of funding as enrollment has slowly declined, Miller said. Meanwhile, the costs of operating the college have gradually increased.
The college gets its funding from state appropriations, tuition and county taxes, Miller said. The taxes from the county are allocated for improvements and maintenance of the campus.
Miller stressed that as a community college, EMCC’s tuition was still lower than tuition of universities.
“We’re still a third or less than universities in terms of cost,” Miller said. “So we’re still the best bang for your buck, so to speak.”
EMCC’s enrollment last year was approximately 4,200 students, Miller said.
The college is not the only one with a tuition hike: Eight other community and junior colleges in the state will raise charges on students this fall, according to figures from the state Community College Board.
On average, a student attending one of Mississippi’s 15 community or junior colleges will pay $2,577 for two semesters of full-time classes, up from $2,476 in the 2014-2015 year.
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