Beginning this spring, tuition will increase $7 per credit hour for those attending DCCCD colleges, rising from $45 to $52.
The additional revenues will help employees of the district receive their first substantial pay raise in more than four years.
Reactions to the former were negative, as expected. No students want to spend more of their hard-earned cash. But critics must realize that this tuition increase is for the best.
Wages for DCCCD faculty and staff have been noticeably lower than those in neighboring districts such as Collin County and Tarrant County for quite some time. And lower wages means less interest from potential applicants.
Less interest from potential applicants means we are losing more and more qualified employees to other colleges with each passing semester.
In the past three years alone, enrollment on our campus has ballooned from 10,500 to 14,000. Such a dramatic rise in the student population is not without its costs.
An additional $7 per credit hour is not a lot to ask for, and considering what the increase in tuition will do for our campus, it is more than worth it.
Having more qualified professors to teach us will enrich our learning experience and improve our time spent at Eastfield.
Our time in classes will be used more efficiently, and our money will be put to better use.
It isn’t right to punish employees who have gone so long without a pay raise for the sake of maintaining lower tuition rates. Four years without a raise is almost unthinkable.
Even with the increase, tuition at our college is still among the lowest in the state. DCCCD schools currently rank 48th out of 50 colleges and universities in terms of tuition charged.
DCCCD schools are also well below the average Texas community college tuition rate of $73 per credit hour, even when including the $7 increase.
For too long, the college has been trying to meet the demands of a growing population of students with shrinking funds. The current tuition rate can only go so far.
Less revenue for the college means fewer free resources are available to students.
It’s true that no one wants to spend more money. However, you can’t put a price on a better education.
In a country where college degrees are a must for higher-paying jobs, every second spent sitting in class counts.