By Heart of Illinois ABC
NORMAL – The governing board of Heartland Community College will decide next week whether students should pay more to attend the school based in Normal.
Trustees are set to vote Tuesday on a proposal raising tuition and fees 3.7%, or $6 per credit hour to $169. That’s on top of what school leaders said was a “reasonable escalation” of $5 per credit hour in recent years.
If approved, higher tuition and fees would take effect for the summer semester.
Administrators cited several reasons for the increase, including a budget deficit this fiscal year, anticipated salary increases for faculty, decreased utility tax revenue, and a potential decline in state government funding.
Heartland’s leaders say even with the increase, the school will remain the district’s most affordable higher education option.
Heartland Community College District 540 serves a corridor along Interstate 55 that includes Pontiac, Bloomington-Normal, and Lincoln.
Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
