Board of Trustees Sets 2008-09 Tuition Rates

LINCOLN – The Nebraska State College System (NSCS) Board of Trustees increased tuition for undergraduate resident students at Chadron, Peru and Wayne State Colleges by 5.9 percent. This makes the cost per credit hour $116.50 for the 2008-09 academic year.

 “We have two sources of funding for the Nebraska State College System general operations – our appropriation from the state and student tuition. Once we receive our appropriation, we have to balance the needs of our students with our fixed expenses that have to be funded,” said Trustee Larry Teahon, vice chair of the NSCS Board and chair of the Fiscal and Facilities Committee.

 The increase will translate to an additional per semester cost of $97.50 for undergraduate students taking a full load of 15 hours. Tuition for graduate students will be $147.75 per credit hour. Non-resident undergraduates will pay $233 per credit hour, and non-resident graduate students will pay $295.50 per credit hour.

 NSCS Chancellor Stan Carpenter said, “This increase, along with our increased state appropriation, will cover our core needs and assure that the Nebraska State College System will continue to offer high quality educational opportunities.”

 The 2008-09 all-inclusive online rate for undergraduate students is $168.50 per credit hour. Graduate students will pay an online rate of $210.75 per credit hour.

 “Many of the students we educate are first-generation college students from small communities. This makes our mission of access critically important. We want to ensure that our students’ level of debt upon graduation is minimal. We know that with less debt, our graduates are more likely to stay in Nebraska to live and work. Across the Nebraska State College System about 70 percent of our graduates stay in the state to work and become leaders in their communities,” Carpenter said