Beginning in the 2010 winter quarter, Sinclair Community College plans to raise its tuition by 3.5 percent. The Sinclair Board of Trustees improved the increase during its first board meeting of the school year on Sept. 15.
The rise in tuition is the first increase since the fall of 2006, according to Sinclair President and Chief Executive Officer Steven Johnson.
“When you adjust it to inflation, our tuition rate is the same as it was in 1982,” he said. “When you look at the big picture, we have worked all these years to have very affordable tuition.”
Tuition rates for residents of Montgomery County jumps from $45 to $46.55; Ohio residents outside Montgomery County see a rise from $73.50 to $76.50; and tuition rates for out-of-state residents increases from $145 to $150.55. The Ohio legislature handles and caps the college’s tuition and fees.
“I think it’s a bad thing Sinclair raised tuition because they just dropped the Ohio Institutional Grant,” said 28-year-old physical therapy major Teri Claytor. “They are making it harder on people to stay in school.”
Sinclair continues to hold the lowest tuition rate in Ohio for Montgomery County residents, according to Johnson.
“We need to keep up with the times and so it’s a modest increase,” Johnson said. “Sinclair’s tuition is still much, much lower. It’s still our goal to remain the lowest in the state.”
Johnson said Sinclair owns the lowest tuition in Ohio by 15 percent. The college has frozen its tuition in 12 of the previous 19 years. Johnson predicted 40-50 percent of students receive financial aid and the majority of those students will not see the tuition increase out of their pocket because of financial aid.
Preparing for semesters
Also, the Board of Trustees officially approved Sinclair’s conversion from quarters to semesters for the fall of 2012. Johnson said the school’s No. 1 goal is to ensure that there will not be an added cost and no student loses ground because of the change to semesters.
Johnson does not see the change to semesters as being any easier for the faculty and staff of Sinclair.
“It will be more complicated,” said Johnson on the change. “It’s a big project. The faculty and staff are going to work to do everything they can to make sure that it is direct and straight forward as possible for the students.”
Kenan Darden, a 19-year-old biology major at Sinclair, transferred from Central State University so he could earn credits through quarters.
“I like the quarter system better because I can get my credits quicker,” he said.
Johnson said the switch should help Sinclair students looking to transfer to a four-year university. With every college and university converting to semesters, Johnson said the switch had to be made in order to accommodate Sinclair students.
News Editor Samuel Huist also contributed to this story.