An additional $12 charge goes into effect in the fall semester

By Delaney Reaves, Editor-In-Chief

And Samantha McClain, Managing Editor-Online

NWACC students will pay another $12 per credit hour for academic courses in the 2024-25 academic year, with the increase beginning in the fall 2024 semester. Several fees will be increased, and new fees will be applied. The Board of Trustees passed the financial proposal on March 11.

The tuition increase applies to in-district students (those living in the Rogers and Bentonville school districts) and out-of-district students. In-district students will now pay $91 per credit hour and out-of-district students will pay $157 per credit hour. A $6 pre-cred hour increase is planned for out-of-state and international students.

A change in student health and safety fees will affect all NWACC students, going from $5 to $8. Hybrid learning fees will be changed from $22 to $25, and distance learning fees will increase from $45 to $50. Four new fees will be introduced. The dental course fee will be $10. The trails course fee, electrical course fee, plumbing course fee, and BIKE course fee will be $100 each. The new course fee for the phlebotomy course will be $213.

The board approved the tuition increase with a 6-1 vote, with Carolyn Reeves, Lori Frank, Todd Schwartz, Ron Branscum, Mark Scott, Jonathan Woods and Amber Latimer voting in favor. Joe Spivey opposed the increase. Rachel Harris did not attend the meeting.

Woods, who presented the Finance Committee portion to the Board of Trustees, introduced Catherin Doner, interim vice president for Finance and Administration, to discuss preparing the FY 2025 Annual Operating Budget. The state fiscal year begins on July 1.

The college receives its funds in three ways: state general (appropriations and EETF revenue), local property tax revenue (millage) and tuition revenue.

Doner presented three different reasons why increasing tuition and fees is essential. The first reason was maintaining academic excellence since NWACC is committed to educational excellence by investing in qualified staff and an updated curriculum.

The second reason is the rising operating costs. According to the presentation, the college is experiencing a rise in operating costs such as utilities, maintenance, and administrative expenses, such as insurance and mandatory state and federal compliance requirements. The costs have been increasing annually and could harm the student’s experience and educational quality.

The last reason was the investment in facilities and infrastructure. NWACC was founded 34 years ago, so investing in facilities and infrastructure is crucial to maintaining an ideal learning environment and attracting more students.

Before the voting began, Spivey, a board of trustee member, said he was sensitive to the needs of those living in the district and supported all faculty and staff being paid well. At the meeting, he addressed his concern about increasing this tuition because of the students’ needs. 

“This will be a shock to our students entering,” Spivey said.

Reeves, another board member, said she didn’t like the thought of the increase, but even with the rise, it is still lower than that of other institutions in the state. Reeves had asked when the increase decision needed to be made. The board had to vote on March 11 to allow time for changes ahead of registration, she was told.

Dennis Rittle, NWACC president and former student recipient of the Pell Grant, recognized that as costs have increased over the last decade, the institution has not kept pace. Rittle also recognized that stagnant expenses will reduce the quality of education, including equipment and faculty.

“It is one of those difficult moments we all struggle with,” Rittle said. “Every one of us was a student, and we all have paid those costs.”

Sammy Massri, SGA president, said he sees this increase from a student and board member perspective. He attends the Board of Trustees meetings to represent the student body.

“I hope this doesn’t mean that each year from now we keep increasing,” Massri said, “this kinda sets the road for it.”

Massri said that he understands this situation could be heartbreaking for students who hear about the higher rate. He said he thinks the school will still be affordable as NWACC still has the second lowest tuition for a community college in Arkansas. Rich Mountain in Mena has the lowest tuition rate for a community college in Arkansas.

“Everyone here on the board has students’ interest in mind at the end of the day,” Massri said.

Massri said that the college has only had a $4 tuition increase since 2013, and it’s important to keep that in mind when considering this change. He said that if students question something they are paying for, they should reach out and ask to understand. Resources at NWACC, including enrollment support, advising, and board meetings, can help students learn more.

Massri said the NWACC salary isn’t as competitive as now, referring to data presented at the board meeting. The school does not offer very competitive wages compared to other institutions. He said the college needs to operate and pay its teachers; without quality teachers, the school can’t function.

“Based on what I’ve heard and with all historical precedence, it is quite shocking and a little bit worrisome. One of my fears is that it (the tuition) may keep increasing over time very rapidly,” Jarred Chieng, SGA vice president, said. “But I do recognize that for our staff, faculty, and our educators, this is very necessary.”

Evelyn Salcedo, an NWACC student working toward admittance to the nursing program, said she wishes this increase wasn’t sudden and drastic but gradual or less. Salcedo is a single mother paying for her education to seek a nurse practitioner school potentially. She said that she feels cutbacks on credit hours per semester will occur due to the amount impacting each credit hour.

“They didn’t pick a good time to do an increase,” Salcedo said. “Everything right now outside of school is already so expensive.”

Salcedo said textbook pricing also seems to have risen for used books.

“For school to also increase, I know it’s not going to make people very excited about it,” Salcedo said.

 Salcedo said that students should apply for as many scholarships as they can to help with the financial load and avoid a lump sum payment plan if they can.

Salecdo said she hopes that with a tuition increase, scholarships will also increase. “I feel like if there’s a balance between those two, it wouldn’t affect as much.”

She said that getting into the nursing program after she completes one year of prerequisite courses will be more complicated now that this change has been passed. She also recognized that the nursing program mainly consists of science classes with labs, and the increases may make the payment more difficult for some students.

Previously, NWACC sought additional state funding but failed to gain it. A proposed property tax (millage) restoration vote appeared last year, but the voters rejected it in May 2023. The school is the lowest state-funded community college in Arkansas.