Orlando, FL – Today, Valencia College trustees approved a modest tuition increase of $4 per credit hour for next fall, bringing the total cost per credit hour for Florida residents to $103.06. The increase amounts to $32 more a semester for the average student. Total tuition and fees for a full-time student will be less than $2,500 per year. Even with the increase, Valencia’s tuition remains lower than every state college and university in Central Florida and the fourth least expensive in the state.
“Holding tuition level for a fourth year would significantly compromise the financial health of the college and the quality of the programs offered,” said Valencia President Sandy Shugart in offering his rationale for the increase.
While trustees were reluctant to approve an increase, they saw it as a necessary step to alleviate the lack of state funding for the Florida College System as a whole, and for Valencia in particular. While Gov. Rick Scott’s budget would have provided an additional $80 million in funding for Florida’s state colleges, the Legislature authorized only $31 million for the 28 state colleges. Of that, Valencia received a net increase of 1.4 percent, where some colleges saw increases as large as 17 percent.
“We would have preferred to avoid a cost increase to the students,” said Board Chair Maria Grulich. “If the governor’s budget had passed, we would not be in this position.”
Bachelor’s level tuition will stay the same at $112.19 per credit hour.
Revenue generated from the tuition increase will be used to beef up areas of the college that have been understaffed, including student advisors and faculty. It will also be used to cover increases in basic expenses, including property and casualty insurance and health insurance.
Valencia has worked hard to keep costs low for students. The college does not charge students for parking permits or tutoring, and has implemented discounts on textbooks purchased through the college bookstore.
To help offset the tuition increase and provide an incentive to high school graduates to continue their educations, the college will offer free tuition for one class this fall to 2014 Orange or Osceola county public high school graduates. Students must apply and register for the class by July 3, 2014, to qualify: http://valenciacollege.edu/freshmanfreebie
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