Student Policies & Revised Tuition Recommendation To Be Considered at Upcoming Board Meeting

Dear CCC Community:

At the upcoming Board Meeting on Thursday, we will be asking the Board of Trustees to consider recommendations in two key areas – tuition and academic policies – in light of the COVID-19 situation.

We are committed to supporting students as they finish out the semester. In addition to the academic, social-emotional, and financial supports we have in place to help students do that, we are also asking that the Board approve the following policy changes to alleviate some of the pressure from students so that they can focus on their learning:

• If a credit student believes they may not get a final grade of C or higher in their class, they can opt into a NC (no credit) option, to which a D or F grade would then convert.
• Any credit student who completes the semester and is not satisfied with their grade will have one year for a no-cost re-take.
• If a credit student needs to take one or more classes off their plate now, they can withdraw from class(es) and will have one year for a no-cost retake. It is recommended that students talk to an advisor before initiating any withdrawal from a course.
• Credit students in courses that may not complete because of lab or hands-on learning components may take a COVID-Incomplete that would allow them to pick up where they left off, once they can access our buildings, for that lab or hands-on experience.

We believe these changes will offer our students the ability to try to work through the semester as well as a relief valve should the pressures of this period prove overwhelming.

On tuition, as you know, a committee of faculty, staff and students had recommended three levers to a tuition change. Due to the COVID situation, the majority of these recommendations will be delayed to future years. We will delay the decision on a 3% annual tuition increase to future years, and instead, will hold tuition consistent for the fifth straight year. We also will delay the decision on implementing lab fees to future years.

We will, however, move ahead with removing the tuition cap at 12 credit hours. The tuition committee found consensus that one group of students, e.g. part-time students, should not subsidize another group of students, e.g. full-time students. With this change, students will pay the same per credit hour rate no matter how many credits they take.

We will also create greater consistency among our specialized programs, with specialized tuition rates for equipment-intensive dental hygiene, radiography and construction technology programs, just as we already have in place for our nursing programs. This change will set construction technology programs at less than they would have been priced if charged on a strictly per credit hour basis. Scholarship funds will also be directed to help cover the difference for health science and construction technology students affected by this change. More details on this recommendation can be found here.

We continue to take proactive measures to ensure City Colleges is affordable for our students by improving the scholarship process, significantly increasing scholarship and grant awards, providing technology on loan, and offering the COVID-19 City Colleges Student Emergency Fund that provides students with funds to cover expenses that stand in the way of successful college completion.

Our students’ health and ability to complete their programs are our priorities. These changes are another step in our effort to support students through this challenging time.

Thank you,
Chancellor Juan Salgado
Provost Mark Potter