NWACC raises in-district tuition for first time in eight years

NWA's flagship community college just got a little more expensive.

What's happening: The Board of Trustees voted Monday to increase in-district tuition from $75 to $79 per credit hour, a 5.3% increase, effective this fall, the school announced in a news release.

• Other fees such as registration and technology will increase, too.

What it means: In-district students live in the Bentonville or Rogers school districts. The fee for out-of-district students who live in Arkansas will increase from $135 to $145 per credit hour. Out-of-state tuition will increase from $150 to $164 per credit hour.

• In-district tuition hasn't increased since 2013.

Driving the increases: Inflation, construction and maintenance costs, and increased costs in professional and technical programs require upping tuition, NWACC vice president of finance and administration Al Massri said in the release.

• NWACC has also seen a drop in enrollment since the pandemic, which means a drop in revenue for the school. The college saw a 12% drop in enrollment from fall 2019 to fall 2020 and a 5.6% decrease from spring 2021 to spring 2022.