New law gives BOR power to restructure NMC tuition

A Senate initiative that pushed for flexibility on the part of the Northern Marianas College Board of Regents to restructure student tuition and fees saw passage last week.

The legislation, which gives the policymaking body discretion over the rate of tuition and other fees to be offered to students, is expected to increase NMC’s foreign student enrollment.

Governor Pedro P. Tenorio inked his approval to the amended version of Postsecondary Education Act of 2000, granting BOR the authority to establish tuition and fee rates for resident and nonresident students reflective of the economic conditions in the Commonwealth.

Prior to the amendment, the statute required that nonresident students pay double the tuition imposed on resident students.

The college community had expressed concerns over the previous setup, citing it as a deterrent in NMC’s efforts to lure more foreign students to pursue post secondary education in the CNMI.

According to NMC Development and Alumni Relations Director Tony Deleon Guerrero, a reduction in the current tuition rate for nonresident students may increase the college’s appeal to international students especially from within the Pacific region.

Mr. Deleon Guerrero, who has been tasked by the board to market the college to neighboring Asian countries, previously said there is no need for NMC to charge twice the amount from foreign students.

Over the last two academic years, NMC has noted a decrease in the its non-resident student enrollment. In academic year 1996-97, 483 foreign enrollees registered at NMC out of the 1721 total student population. The following year, the figure dropped to 373 which further dipped to a mere 225 non-resident student enrollment in AY 1998-99.

According to research, the top three countries of foreign students attending colleges and universities abroad are Japan, China, and South Korea.

These countries, according to Mr. Deleon Guerrero, are potential markets for NMC in its efforts to widen its foreign student recruitment.

Current tuition rates for nonresident students are set at $130 per credit for courses 299 and below and $160 per credit for courses 300 and above.

Compared to other two-year colleges in the Pacific, the Northern Marianas College offers a fairly competitive tuition rate, according to an in-house study commissioned by the college.

Based on a survey of nine Pacific community colleges, NMC ranked 3rd among colleges offering the lowest resident student tuition rate at $65 per credit.

The College of the Marshall Islands is recorded to have the highest tuition rate for its resident students at $95 per credit.

Other state colleges in Hawaii, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia offer an average tuition ranging from $40 to $60 per credit.

“This reveals how competitive our college is to other institutions. We belong to the higher end but we’re still competitive,” said Mr. Deleon Guerrero.