Tuition costs will rise this summer for international and non-resident students following a decision by the Board of Trustees to adopt the new fees.
Students who are not residents of California but who are citizens of the U.S. will pay an additional $8 per unit when tuition rises from $173 to $181. International students will pay an additional $39 when tuition rises from $192 to $231.
The rise in tuition, which will take affect this summer session for the fiscal year 2008-2009, is a result of the recommended formulas provided by the State Chancellor’s Office. The extra income is to be used for maintenance, equipment and capital outlay.
“The price of everything else is going up, if I was going out of the country to study, I would expect to pay a lot more as well,” Salvador Vaca, political science major and non-residential student, said.
Although some students might not feel affected by the rise of tuition, concerns have risen among international students on campus who, although aware of the extra fees, were unaware of how to combat it.
“I had a student who wanted to petition against it, and I informed her of her right to do so. She was representing other foreign students,” Harold Tyler, director of student development, said.
Tyler warns international students to carefully fill out their ECC Visa form because some erroneous answers might inadvertently qualify them to pay more.
Some residential students do sympathize with their international colleagues.
“I don’t feel it is right. The point of a community college is to learn and save some money. This is going to make it harder for them,” Erick Valencia, business major, said. “Did they even know this was coming?”
The rise of the tuition came as a surprise to many international students.
“I am shocked,” Mario Salazar, journalism major and international student, said. “You know it is going to affect you, but you do not really feel it until it comes down to paying for it.”
A native of Mexico, Salazar is already adding up the additional cost of the tuition and how it will affect his stay.
“There is a car accident that I have to pay for, and there are other bills like rent I also need to pay for,” Salazar said. “That’s messed up.”
The EC International Student Visa form expects that foreign students on average will pay just over $16,000 for a 12 unit semester, not including transportation to and from their country.
Although an extra $39 per class might not seem like a lot in comparison to the thousands of dollars international students are already paying, they know it is money they would have preferred to keep.
“I had to pay my own way in, and I already don’t have any financial aid,” Salazar said.
