Cheaper colleges gaining attraction

From Connecticut to California and virtually every state in between, community colleges are welcoming more and more students these days.

The likely reason: cheaper tuition in a time when money and jobs are scarce for many families.

According to American Association of Community Colleges spokesperson Norma Kent, community colleges typically thrive during recessions. But the number of new students enrolling these days is "an extreme situation," said Kent.

An informal national poll done by the AACC last year showed increases from 4 percent to as much as 26.7 percent at Nunez Community College in Louisiana.

Northern Virginia Community College was no exception. Enrollment at the regional college -- which has nine branches in Northern Virginia -- has increased from 4 percent last fall, to 6 percent this spring to 8 percent this summer, said president Bob Templin.

This fall, enrollment is expected to spike at11 percent.

"Something's going on and we are trying to figure out what it is," said Templin. "I have this notion that around Thanksgiving of last year through the holidays, a lot of families got together and started talking to their kids about what the family could afford as far as higher education."

Fraction of cost

That was partly the case for Idris Fitzpatrick, a rising sophomore at NVCC-Woodbridge. A 2008 Hylton High School graduate, Fitzpatrick hopes to eventually attend George Mason University, where he will major in international studies.

Fitzpatrick, who is paying for the majority of his college education, wasn't accepted at Mason right out of high school. So he decided to attended NVCC for two years instead of trying to attend another four-year school like Marymount University or James Madison University because of the cost.

A year at nearby Marymount is nearly $23,000, whereas NVCC costs just $3,000. And for those who finish with an associate's degree and a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, that student is guaranteed admission to the vast majority of the public universities in the commonwealth.

This was the case with recent graduate Sumaya Hajebi, who was homeschooled after one year at Woodbridge High School and ended up graduating at age 16. Partly because of her age and partly for financial reasons, Hajebi and her parents agreed that attending NVCC would be the ideal situation.

Hajebi said she made the right decision to attend NVCC and now is ready to start this fall at Mason, where she hopes to get a degree in education.

"I wanted something where I could fit in ... so I checked out NOVA's campus and their prices were really low," Hajebi said.

Arthur Tamayo, a 2008 graduate of Osbourn Park High School, was looking to attend Woodbury University in California last fall. However, even with a Pell grant, which is designated for those in financial need, Tamayo couldn't afford to go there.

Tamayo, who had all but his summer classes at NVCC covered by the grant, is currently sporting a 4.0 GPA and is considering attending University of Virginia after he gets his associate's degree in social sciences next year.

Unfortunately, with many states also facing unprecedented budget shortfalls -- including Virginia -- these four-year feeder schools have been and likely will be taking more financial hits in the near future.

State cuts

NVCC spokesperson Carlene Mackereth said state funding for the school has been cut 10 percent in the last two years (approximately $8 million) and reductions up to 15 percent are expected after the General Assembly finishes its 2010 session this winter.

According to Mackereth, the state funded approximately 41 percent of the school's budget for the 2007-08 school year.

In many cases, the locality where the community college is located also contributes funding. For this fiscal year, Prince William County will give NVCC $33,469 for operating costs and $371, 939 for capital costs, for a total of $405,408.

The funding, which is based on the jurisdiction's population, rose slightly from the last fiscal year.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.