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Hart says it’s time to review tuition rate, student fees
In its desire to adjust the wages of its employees, the Northern Marianas College will be reviewing the current tuition rate and fees it charges students.
NMC president Dr. Sharon Y. Hart told Saipan Tribune that the institution has not had any increases in its tuition rates and fees for quite some time now.
NMC’s existing tuition rate is $95 per credit for resident students and $190 per credit for nonresident enrollees. Hart said these fees have been in place for many years.
“It’s been many years since we increased our tuition and fees and every college has to look at this every semester,” said Hart, disclosing of plans to inquire with other institutions their policies on student tuition and fees.
Hart said she will participate in this week’s scheduled assembly of the Pacific Postsecondary Education Council in Hawaii. PPEC is an organization of chiefs of postsecondary institution in the Pacific including the CNMI, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Palau, and Hawaii.
“I will be asking these institutions what are their goals [with respect to the tuition of students]. In asking this question, it would help us look into our tuition here at NMC,” said Hart.
Any tuition increases or decreases are usually seen during the fall semester of the year.
In a previous interview, Leo Pangelinan, dean of Student Services, told Saipan Tribune that in the event tuition and fees are changed, the management will make sure that students are given ample time to prepare.
The college last implemented a tuition hike more than five years ago.
With the recent reaffirmation of NMC’s accreditation, Hart is forecasting a 14-percent increase in their enrollment. The projected figure is based on the college’s experience when it reaffirmed its accreditation in the past.
NMC gets an average of about 1,200 students each semester.
Tuition and fees are one of the funding sources of the college. Others are the local appropriation—which pays for its personnel—and other federal grants. Tuition revenue is sued for the college’s operational expenses, while some portions are used to pay for unfunded FTEs.
