SUBJECT: Amendment to section [4] of Policy E-8, Tuition Rates.

PROPOSED ACTION

That the Board, after any desired changes, adopt the proposed amendment to section [4] of policy E-8.

RELATED BOARD POLICY OR RESOLUTION

This item is consistent with policy B-1 (Board Policy Principles) and amends policy E-8, Tuition Rates.

RATIONALE

Section [4] of Policy E-8 is currently: "[4] Student fees must be approved by the Board and shall be assessed without regard to residence status." The proposed amendment would change this to: "[4] Student fees must be approved annually by the Board with justifications, revenue/cost estimates, and proposed changes listed during budget deliberations."

By eliminating the blanket prohibition or fees based on residence status, the amendment would permit, with Board approval, such changes as the replacement of the foreign-student deposit with a fee.

The amendment would also regularize Board review of fees and concentrate it in the budget-review process.

BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The amendment has no direct budgetary impact.

RESOURCE PERSONNEL

Carol Nasworthy, Chair, Board of Trustees

Hunter Ellinger, Trustee

Richard Fonte, President

ATTACHMENTS

Policy E-8, showing proposed amendment

[1] The tuition rates for in-district students shall be set by the Board. Except when the Board explicitly directs otherwise, tuition rates for other students shall be set by the President in accordance with this policy.

[2] The per-credit-hour differential in tuition rates for students whose residence status is within Texas but outside the ACC district shall be approximately matched to the ratio of annual property-tax revenues to annual in-district credit-hours, except that any term-to-term increase in the differential shall be no more than $2 per credit-hour.

For any student eligible to receive college tuition assistance funds under Pell Grant, and if such student applies or has applied for a Pell Grant for the academic term, ACC shall make available a scholarship program, upon a schedule developed by the President, to offset such differential until such time as the Pell Grant is received by the student.

[3] The further per-credit-hour differential in tuition rates for students who do not qualify as Texas residents shall be no less than the ratio of all revenues from state government to total credit hours by in-state students.

[4] Student fees must be approved annually by the Board with justifications, revenue/cost estimates, and proposed changes listed during budget deliberations and shall be assessed without regard to residence status.