Harper College will be closed Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth National Freedom Day.
The Harper College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $2 per credit hour tuition increase to help support the college’s commitment to providing quality, affordable and accessible education.
Effective this summer, in-district tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will increase 1.5% to $135.50 per credit hour. This will cost an additional $30 per semester for a full-time student taking 15 credit hours. Out-of-district, out-of-state and international student tuition rates also will increase by $2 a credit hour.
Tuition has remained unchanged since the 2019-20 academic year.
The proposal was supported by the college’s Student Government Association, whose members told administrators they recognized Harper’s increase is moderate compared to those at many peer institutions and decreases the likelihood of a larger increase in the future.
The board also approved the following tuition-related measures:
Differential tuition adjustment to 1.5 times the in-district rate: The board approved adjusting differential tuition charges to 1.5 times the in-district rate, down from two times the in-district rate. Through the spring 2024 semester, students will pay the regular rate of tuition and the college will fund the differential portion of tuition. Starting the summer 2024 term, students will pay the full differential tuition of 1.5 times the regular rate of tuition.
Since 1999, students in certain health care programs have been charged differential tuition (i.e. double tuition) since they are more expensive to offer. In Fiscal Years 2021 and 2022, the board temporarily suspended differential tuition due to the pandemic’s significant financial impact on students.
Tuition for Online Health Information Technology Classes: Students enrolled in the college’s online Health Information Technology program, which launched in fall 2021, will continue to pay in-district tuition regardless of residency through the spring 2024 semester. The college is making this program affordable and accessible to all, as an all-online version of this program is not available in many Illinois community college districts.
