CLC Board of Trustees supports students with no tuition and fee increase

GRAYSLAKE – The College of Lake County’s Board of Trustees approved the recommendation to maintain current tuition rates and comprehensive fees for students in the 2021-22 academic year.

Students will pay the same tuition and fees as they do during the current academic year. It had been eight years since tuition rates went unchanged.

Additionally, the board approved recommendations to keep credit course fees for variable classes, including nursing, dental hygiene, massage therapy and theater, unchanged. These recommendations affirm the college’s commitment to affordability for students as outlined in the strategic plan.

“The decision to hold the line on tuition and fees supports our mission to serve the community with an affordable and equitable education opportunity,” CLC Board of Trustees Chair William Griffin said in a news release. “It is crucial we keep providing a quality education that is both affordable and accessible to our students, and it is especially important during this time of urgent need.”

The decision was made to minimize the impact on students at a time when they are strained by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was not an easy choice to make,” Griffin said. “This student-focused decision will require the college to carefully evaluate existing resources and strategically allocate them to deliver a balanced budget. The board is committed to make the decisions necessary to do the right thing by not placing responsibility on students to pay more.”

Access and success for students is a core pillar of CLC’s strategic plan. Among the college’s highest priorities is improving affordability for students in equitable ways by reducing time to complete credentials, creating cost efficiencies and developing resources to support students. Hundreds of scholarships, including opportunities for free tuition with stipend grants, are available to students who need financial resources. More than $1 million in scholarships were awarded to students last academic year.

Academic curriculum has been developed to ensure students begin their time at CLC with college-credit courses, giving them more confidence to succeed and limiting time spent taking remedial courses. When shifting to an alternative learning delivery model during the pandemic, the college stayed equity focused, loaning students 711 laptops and 206 calculators so they could continue their classes from home. Even more important, 438 Wi-Fi hotspots were provided to students at no cost so they could connect to the internet off campus.

The board also recently approved a policy change to integrate inclusive access as a strategy for making course materials more affordable to continue the expansion of savings to students. The Lancer Emergency Assistance Fund helps students pay for gas cards, flat tires, child care and electric bills so they can continue learning at CLC. The college continues forward progress in designing a student-ready environment that improves their experience and ability to successfully navigate their educational journey with an entirely new onboarding experience, including a New Student Convocation and a College Success Seminar. Both are programs that began this spring.

“CLC is committed to building a student-focused culture that removes barriers and provides holistic supports that ensure every student completes their credential,” CLC President Dr. Lori Suddick said in the release.