Red Deer College and Olds College aren’t planning to increase tuition fees for the 2011-2012 school year.
The provincial government has allowed post-secondary institutions to increase tuition by 0.35 per cent for next school year.
Jeff Suderman, director of student recruitment and admissions at Olds College, said the province limits the amount that colleges can increase tuition by the annual cost of living.
“It came in pretty low this year and the college board has made a decision not to make any changes to tuition for 2011,” Suderman said.
Suderman said Olds College is always concerned about the affordability of education for students so this is helping in that way.
“But in an era where the government is holding our annual increases to zero per cent, there is some level of concern about also providing the services that students need,” Suderman said.
RDC president Joel Ward said with the government only allowing a small increase, Red Deer College isn’t likely to increase tuition for the 2011-2012 year either.
Ward said with a very limited tuition increase and no increase in funding from the provincial government, RDC will be challenged again to balance its budget.
“It’s a challenge because the budget for post-secondary education was reduced,” Ward said. He said the government grant to colleges was reduced by 4.5 per cent last year, with a zero increase expected for next year.
“If your revenue stays the same and your expenses go up, then something has to give. Typically programs, people and services are the three areas that are often affected by budgets that need to be reduced,” Ward said.
“But we’re working very diligently with all of our stakeholders — students, faculty, staff and administration — finding ways to minimize any of it towards achieving a balanced budget for 2011-2012.”
Ward said there are no plans to cut staff or programs at RDC.
Ward said he thinks they can get through one more year, but the year after if the college doesn’t receive more funding from the government, he expects programs, people and services will be affected at the college.
Suderman said because the government let colleges know what their budgets would be several months ago, Olds College developed a two-year budget, which will get them through the next two years.
He said Olds College will not have to lay off staff or cut programming in the 2011-2012 year. “We’re fine for this year and the next year.”
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com