Pima College Tuition Going Up $3, Increasing Credit Hour Toll to $49

By ERIC SWEDLUND, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Pima Community College students will pay an extra $1 per credit hour next year, plus a new $2 per-credit technology fee.

The college’s Board of Governors Wednesday approved the increases proposed by Chancellor Roy Flores. The $3 overall represents a 6.2 percent increase, to $49 per credit hour, or $1,470 a year for full- time students.

The increases are expected to generate $1.95 million in additional revenue for the college.

Flores said he proposed the technology fee “to create a fund that will ensure the college will remain competitive technologically.”

“The students who come to us are becoming more technologically savvy,” he said.

The technology fund will allow the college to regularly plan for necessary upgrades, said David Bea, vice chancellor for finance. Computer labs and instructional technology are expected to be priorities, he said.

Even with the new technology fee, Pima’s increase is less than the average proposed increase for community colleges statewide, Flores said.

The increase follows hikes of $2 per credit hour in each of the last two years.

Tuition and mandatory fees at the University of Arizona total $5,037, a 6 percent increase for next year. The university has a technology and library fee of $115 annually per student.

* Contact reporter Eric Swedlund at 573-4115 or at eswedlund@azstarnet.com.

(c) 2007 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.