Students at Ozarks Technical Community College who live in and close to Springfield will see a tuition increase of $3 per credit hour this coming fall.
The measure was approved Tuesday by the OTC Board of Trustees.
Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of OTC, says there are two main reasons for this increase.
“Number one, increased costs, number two, we continue not to be funded adequately by the state of Missouri,” Higdon says.
Tuition at OTC is determined by whether a student comes from or outside of the school’s taxing district, and by course difficulty or specialized course level. For what are considered “Tier I” courses, the in-district cost per credit hour will increase from $95-$98. Higdon says the $3 increase is justified.
“We’re the lowest funded college or university in the state of Missouri.”
Current costs for out-of-district and out-of-state students are not subject to the fee increase.
According to the OTC registrar’s office, students are considered in-district if they live within the Springfield tax district. In-district schools include Nixa, Strafford, Republic, Ozark, and most recently, Branson.
