The AACC Board of Trustees voted on Tuesday to raise tuition by $2 per credit hour starting in the fall.   

The plan to raise tuition is a part of AACC’s $125.5 million operating budget, which the trustees also approved on Tuesday. Last year’s budget was $120.2 million.

Budget Committee Chairman James H. Johnson Jr. said the budget includes funding for  “retaining quality and diverse faculty and staff, technology and students’ success.” 

Johnson, who also serves as the board’s vice chairman, said the budget covers salary increases for faculty and upgrades technology on AACC’s three campuses. 

Until last year during the pandemic, the college raised tuition by $2 to $4 every year since 2010. From 2004 to 2006, tuition went up by $2 to $3 every year until the recession.

College officials have said they chose to raise tuition incrementally each year as opposed to all at once. 

Tuition covers approximately one-third of the college’s operating expenses, according to Vice President for Learning Resource Management Melissa Beardmore. The county and the state each fund approximately one-third. 

Second-year transfer studies student Luke Lanham said he isn’t happy the college is raising tuition. 

“It sucks because you obviously have to pay more money for classes,” Lanham said. “So you have to pay more attention to how many credit hours you’re taking, because it could affect how much you’re paying.”

Third-year landscape architecture student David Phan said he’s not surprised the college is raising tuition. 

“There are a lot less students enrolled on campus,” Phan said. “I guess that’s why they are increasing tuition rates.”

First-year physical therapy assistant student Mattigan Philip said she supports a tuition increase if it’s for a good cause.  

“I think if it’s for a good reason … money … that we need or to teachers’ salaries, that would be for good reason,” Philip said. “But if it’s for money towards other academics, or I guess sports that don’t apply to me, then it’s not as important to me.” 

The trustees also approved a capital budget, which will pay for construction, repairing and replacing sidewalks, and renovation of the Dragun and Florestano buildings, which were left mostly vacant when faculty and classes moved into the new Health and Life Sciences building.

The capital budget proposal is for $258.9 million dollars. 

Now that the trustees approved the budget, President Dawn Lindsay will forward the proposal to the Anne Arundel County Executive, who will share it with the County Council. Finally, Gov. Larry Hogan must sign off on the state’s contribution to the college.