BY MARK SKERTIC
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Arguing college needs to remain affordable for all students, Cincinnati State President Ron Wright is promising to hold the line on tuition. He outlined a plan for the college's board Tuesday that would keep tuition at $62.50 per credit hour next year.
"We're trying to provide access and opportunity," he said. "For some of our students, a modest change in tuition means they have to drop out."
The state caps the amount a public college can raise tuition at 6 percent annually. Any increase is too much right now at Cincinnati State, Dr. Wright said.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is a two-year school based in Clifton. Last year, the school raised tuition 4.2 percent.
About half of Cincinnati State's operating budget of $35.1 million comes from tuition, with the rest provided by the state. Dr. Wright's income projections assume a 5 percent enrollment increase and three to four percent increase in state subsidy.
"We're going to find areas where we can tighten up," he said. "The people who will be most upset are our managers, who are being asked to do more with less."
He said student services will not be decreased, but there will be cutbacks in areas such as professional travel for staff.
Yearly tuition increases are common statewide. The University of Cincinnati has averaged about 5 percent in recent years, while Miami University in Oxford has increased about 6 percent.
Those amounts can be misleading though, because both schools have several tuition schedules depending on the type of degree students are seeking and whether they are on the main campus or a branch campus.
Neither university has announced tuition levels for next fall.
