Friday, April 17, 2009 8:26 PM CDT
Lake Land argues tuition is a higher education bargain
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
MATTOON -- Lake Land College’s tuition and fee costs for full-time students have increased by $640.50 over the past five years.
But some students and college officials are not fazed by that sticker shock. They argue that Lake Land is still a bargain in higher education, especially when considering the textbook rental option and what other colleges charge.
The latest tuition increase approved Monday by the Lake Land Board of Trustees added $150 more per year for students taking a full load during two semesters. That means the tuition and fees for two semester now cost $2,544.
The college board has hiked tuition and fees each of the last five years. The latest increase was $4 more per credit hour for tuition and $1 more for student fees. The per-credit hour cost for tuition and fees now totals $84.80, an increase of $21.35 over five fiscal years.
“Compared to the University of Illinois I saved money coming here,” said Tyler Malone, a sophomore pre-engineering student from Shelbyville. “And even with the increase it is going to be good because the U of I is raising its price probably a lot more than $75.”
Jonathan Bass, a sophomore pre-engineering major from Newton, said he realized a savings of thousands per semester by choosing Lake Land over Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
But what about students not seeking university transfers? LLC student surveys have consistently shown the cost of college is the top priority in higher education choices (availability of financial aid and academic reputation consistently rate second and third in the surveys).
Marshall resident Cortney Smith, a LLC freshman seeking an associate degree in early childhood care and education, said school should still be affordable.
“I picked Lake Land because I could commute here with my mother. And Marshall High School offered dual credits through Lake Land,” she explained.
Courtney Hall, another freshman seeking a degree in early childhood studies, said the increases surprised her, but she is receiving financial aid so she will remain in school.
“It would affect me if I didn’t have financial aid. I think the increase will affect other people here,” said Hall, a Cowden resident.
Tiffany Howard, a freshman business major from Toledo, said the latest tuition hike will burn her father more than anyone.
“I’m sure he’s not happy about it. But I won’t be shopping around [for another community college],” she said.
By “shopping around,” students and taxpayers can see that Lake Land is still competitive on tuition and fees in comparison to other Illinois community colleges. Figures from the Illinois Community College Board show Lake Land is in the middle of the pack, ranking about 14th with a tuition and fee cost of $79.80 for the 2008-09 year (the latest data for all 24 community colleges).
What is a potential concern for Lake Land is the fact three nearby community college districts -- Illinois Eastern Community Colleges (Lincoln Trail, Frontier, Wabash Valley and Olney Central colleges), Richland Community College and Kaskaskia College -- each had lower tuition and fee costs for FY2008-09. IEEC had the lowest in the state with $63. The average statewide was $84.04.
But Lake Land Vice President of Student Services Tina Stovall said that comparison does not reflect the whole picture.
Lake Land has the most cost-effective textbook rental system of any community college in the state, Stovall said. Most require students to purchase their textbooks. Purchasing those texts can cost students $900 to $1,000 per year.
“We tell students when they consider another community college they should take 30 hours and multiply it by $30 so they can see what going there will cost them,” Stovall said.
Lake Land also rates the third-lowest net instructional unit cost for public community colleges in Illinois, according to statistics from ICCB. This figure is derived from faculty salaries, direct departmental and equipment costs, academic administration and planning and support costs.
Lake Land’s net instruction cost was $148.18. Only the IEEC and Kaskaskia College districts were lower at $123.59 and $151.74 respectively. These figures are from FY2007.
“The challenge we have here is to tell students what it actually costs to go here. We think we are very competitive,” Stovall said.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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