VIDEO: Tuition Spike and Budget Cuts at EMCC

MAYHEW, Miss. (WCBI) – Community colleges across the state are raising tuition costs for the upcoming school year.

East Mississippi Community College’s 13% increase will raise tuition from $1,200 to $1,500  a semester.

The school chose not to raise costs last year, but had to this year to make up for state budget cuts.

EMCC President Dr. Tom Huebner says even with the hike, the school will still have to make other sacrifices in order to not take away from students.

“We made the decision that we would not fill some of the positions that had been empty because of retirement or transition. In addition, we’ve had to make a number of very difficult personnel decisions, but at the end of the day, we’re doing so in the hopes that we can not diminish the student experience.”

“To go to a school that puts you as a student first, is really the best school that you could choose and there’s not many schools like that,” says EMCC student, Keen Young.

Huebner says EMCC has a high percentage of students eligible for federal and state aid and offers a program that helps qualified students with those costs not covered by financial aid.