Budget, Tuition/Fees Approved for 2008-09 Academic Year

The Pennsylvania College of Technology Board of Directors on Thursday approved an operating budget of $91,282,491 and a 4.7-percent increase in tuition for in-state students in 2008-09. The operating budget represents a 4.44-percent increase over 2007-08 and reflects a $250,000 decrease in Penn College's state appropriation.

Under the governor's state budget proposal, Penn College will receive an appropriation of $12,659,000, which amounts to less than 14 percent of the college's operating costs. Penn College is a special-mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University, and the amount approved by the state Legislature and the governor is appropriated to the college through a line item in Penn State's budget. The Legislature has not yet passed a budget for 2008-09.

Penn College receives no direct funding from Penn State; the college establishes its own rates for tuition and fees, which constitute the bulk of its revenues.

A full-time, in-state student taking an average of 15 credits per semester will pay approximately $11,790 in tuition and fees at Penn College in 2008-09 − an increase of $540 from 2007-08. Annual costs for students are based upon per-credit-hour fees; the number of credits for which a student registers determines the actual cost. Per-credit-hour tuition and fees will increase $18 to a total of $393 per credit hour for 2008-09.

Tuition and fees for out-of-state students, who pay 1.3 times the in-state rate, will increase by $23 to a total of $494 per credit hour. Tuition and fees for a nonresident enrolled for a typical 15-credit load over two semesters in 2008-09 will be $14,820.

"Keeping tuition costs as low as possible for Penn College students remains our ultimate goal," college President Davie Jane Gilmour said of the budgeting process. "A high-quality Penn College education must continue to be affordable for students and their families − particularly in challenging economic times such as these. The costs associated with virtually all aspects of hands-on technology instruction are escalating, but we will strive to do everything in our power to minimize the impact on tuition and fees."

The president said the college's new base-budgeting process will generate benefits in the long term by enhancing the way planning is connected to budgeting. She added she is hopeful that the final state budget, whenever it is approved, will include a larger appropriation for Penn College.

"Any additional funds we receive this year from the commonwealth will be applied toward reinstating the cuts we made to keep tuition costs low and to balance the budget," she said.

Tuition accounts for $15 of the $18 per-credit-hour increase for in-state students. In addition, the capital fee will increase by $3 (to $39 per credit hour). There will be no increases in the technology or activity fees, which remain at $15 and $5, respectively. The laboratory instruction fee will increase $3 to $31 per lab hour.

More than three-quarters of all Penn College students receive financial aid to assist with their education costs. In 2006-07 (the last year for which official figures are available), Penn College students received aid totaling $71.8 million from a variety of federal, state and local sources.

The 2008-09 budget projects a slight increase (less than 1 percent) in enrollment for Fall 2008. Additional employment opportunities include 7½ new faculty positions, four new professional positions, 2½ new classified positions and one new service position. The budget establishes a 4.5-percent salary-increment pool for eligible employees.

The college's auxiliary fund budgets for 2008-09 total $22,503,292. They are: Housing, $7,045,634; College Store, $5,725,607; Food Services, $6,152,151; Industrial Modernization Center, $1,515,931; Student Activities, $1,227,659; Workforce Development & Continuing Education, $518,856; and the Children's Learning Center, $317,454.

Other unrestricted current fund budgets total $728,118. They are: parking permit fund, $390,000; gifts and donations, $200,000; scholarships, $123,118; and use of college resources, $15,000.

The restricted current fund budget for grants, contracts and restricted donations for which outside parties (such as governmental agencies) direct the use of the money totals $21,695,434 for 2008-09.

The plant fund budget for physical facilities totals $4,364,414, including the $81,689 renewal and replacement fund and the $4,282,725 debt service fund, which is money received and expended for the college's bond obligations.

Overall, the college is budgeting $114,513,901 for operating costs, auxiliary operations and other unrestricted funds a 5.91-percent increase over the previous year. Including the restricted and plant funds brings the total budget to $140,573,749.

For more information about Penn College, visit online , e-mail or call toll-free (800) 367-9222.