Video: Tuition Spikes Won’t Take Away EMCC’s Tuition Guarantee Program

MAYHEW, Miss. (WCBI) – That program is the East Mississippi Community College Tuition Guarantee Program.

Administrators tell us tuition spikes won’t be taking it away from students any time soon.

It helps students with tuition costs if they live in EMCC’s six county district.

EMCC budgets and distributes the program’s money to students just like it does with institutional scholarships.

When school costs spike, so does everything else.

“Whenever there has to be a tuition increase, it’s going to affect that part of your budget where you pay for scholarships, or anything that supplements the student’s tuition,” says EMCC Vice President for Administration, Dr. Paul Miller.

Miller says the school will still be using the program this upcoming year, but the community provided program is losing some of its support.

“We have to work very hard to try to regain the external support that we had for several years for that program, in order to keep it viable.”

EMCC’s Tuition Guarantee Program gives students an opportunity to not have to pay for school out of their own wallets.

“The student will apply for all federal financial and institutional scholarships that they would qualify for. Then, if there’s any gap left in the tuition expense for that student, then tuition guarantee comes in and fills that, so they have little to no out of pocket expense related to tuition.”

EMCC student Jeanesha Cox says without financial help like this program, college wouldn’t be an option.

“You’re already struggling if you don’t have that financial help to get that $1,200, so now you have to think, how am I going to get this? Is it really worth me going to college? Now, you have more kids going to factory jobs.”

This student doesn’t live in one of the six counties students must live in to qualify for the extra help and wishes he did with costs on the rise.

“I’ll have to take out a bigger student loan. It will affect my books, it will affect all how I spend my money and everything in the fall,” says EMCC student, Cody Reed.