Buck County Community
College’s Board of Trustees
unanimously voted to raise
tuition for the 2010-11 school
year, increasing costs for incounty
students by $6 per
credit as well an additional $1
per credit technology fee.
The tuition increase will
also be affecting out-of-county
and out-of-state students
attending Bucks. Out-of-county residents will face a
$12 per credit increase, while
out-of-state residents will be
hit with an $18 per credit
increase.
All students will also be hit
with a $1 technology fee per
credit increase as well as a
$25 late fee if their enrollment
occurs after classes begin.
Dr. James Linksz, President
of Bucks, stated in a press
release that “our Board of
Trustees is very concerned
about keeping a Bucks education
affordable, especially
during this difficult economy.
The board is reluctant to raise
tuition but this increase is
needed to help balance our
budget. We remain committed
to high quality education and
we cannot sacrifice that primary
goal.”
The reaction by students to
the tuition increase has been
varied. “I went to URI
[University of Rhode Island]
for three semesters, and there
I was paying about $25 grand
a semester, about seventeen of
that for tuition alone,” said
Andrew Sing, 19, an engineering
major from Yardley. “It
worked out to be about a
grand per credit hour. Here,
the cost per credit hour is
going up from $99 to $105. So
even if I take 18 credits, that
are what, a $130 increases a
semester? That’s not bad at
all. Compared to most schools
around here, that is really
cheap.”
Justine Conoline, 21, an elementary education major from
Fairless Hills, agreed. “I went
to Bucks for two-and-a-half
years, and then transferred to
Temple this semester,” said
the former student as she
walked to the office to make a
request to get another copy of
her transcript. “And honestly,
I wish I could just come back
here. I ended up having to
retake a lot of the same classes
at Temple that I did at
Bucks, and my teachers at
Bucks were better. Even with
the tuition being raised, I
would fine with paying the
extra $7 for the quality of education
I’m getting.”
Some students, though recognizing
the value Bucks
offers for the price, were not
thrilled by the tuition increase.
Robin Robinson, 19, an undecided
major from
Philadelphia, said, “Yeah,
Bucks is a good school and not bad [for price]. But I gotta
pay for school, so every dollar
counts. It’s just annoying havin’
to pay more for the same
stuff, you know?”
Kenath Sonpon, 23, a nursing
major for Bristol, said,
“It’s a shame they have to
raise the tution again, but it is
a business. There are tution
raises everywhere in the states
because of the economy. It is
not the school’s fault, they
have to do what they have to
do.”
David Ringstaff, 23, a criminal
justice major from
Bristol, said, “I feel that the
tution is already steep. It
makes it harder for students to
be able to afford to go to
school. It doesn’t seem like a
lot of money – but when you
add it up…it is. ”
Bucks has regularly raised
tuition in recent years, but in a
somewhat staggered manner
to keep costs from jumping
quickly. 2009 saw an increase
of $4 per credit and $3 per
credit (technology fee) from
the previous year, following
an increase of $2 per credit
and $3 per credit (technology
fee) in 2008 from the year
before.
Administrators at Bucks cite
an all-time high in enrollment
(11,492- 10 percent more than
last year) due to an economic
downturn, coupled with factors
such as salaries and
health-care costs not being
matched by the state and
county as reasons for the
tuition increase. J. Peter
Dominick, a member of the
Board of Trustees, told the
Bucks County Courier Times,
“None of us take this lightly
and we’re extremely disappointed
to have to do this.”
Steve Cohen, 36, from
Langhorne, is taking a few
night classes just to learn
more about subjects he enjoys,
such as American history.
“Yeah, I know, I don’t feel it
as much as other people
because I only take a couple
classes, but anyone who has
classes here is going to feel it
a little bit. Of course people
are going to be a little
annoyed, because peopleespecially
those paying for
their own school- really value
their money, every dollar of it.
But in the end, the people
going here are getting a great
education for a great price.
And if they don’t want to pay
a little extra, they can just find
a new school- though I doubt
they will find a school of such
good quality for the price they
are paying here.”
The school is continuing to
offer as much aid as it can to
students.