The Board of Trustees of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, an institution recognized nationally for its excellence in education, adopted the college’s FY 2015-2016 Educational and General (E&G), Capital Outlay, and Auxiliary budgets during its regular meeting on May 27, 2015. MGCCC’s E&G budget, used for institution-wide operational expenses, is set at $123 million, with funding primarily from the state legislature, county millage and student tuition/fees.

“This year we experienced a slight increase in state appropriations; however, in order to preserve the quality of our current and future offerings, tuition has been raised,” MGCCC president Dr. Mary S. Graham said. Full-time tuition will be $1,400 per semester effective for the fall 2015 semester, the first time tuition has been raised at the college in four years.

Graham added that the tuition rate has not been raised since 2011.  “This tuition rate is comparable to our sister institutions throughout the state, and is still one-third of the cost of state public university tuition.  The college has historically made the strategic choice to raise tuition in the amount required to sustain exceptional programs once every few years, rather than in small increments every year.”

Other changes include the fee structure for career-technical programs, which will shift from a per-hour fee to a semester program fee.  The change in this structure will result in equivalent charges to full-time career-technical students, with the exception of several high-cost programs. There will be no change in book rental fees, technology fees, registration fee, meal plans, or dorm fees. MGCCC continues to be only institution in the state to offer a textbook rental service, which saves students 83 percent of what it would cost them to purchase their textbooks.