FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2003
CONTACT: Kay Hendricks, ACCD Coordinator of Communication
210.208.8006

TUITION AT ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGES REMAINS UNCHANGED FOR SPRING 2004

In the face of substantial increases in tuition planned at four-year colleges and universities in Texas and across the country for the coming spring, prospective college students will welcome the news that tuition at the colleges of the Alamo Community College District (ACCD) will not increase for the spring 2004 semester.

"Our colleges have always been the best value in higher education in our area," said ACCD Chancellor Dr. J. Terence Kelly. "We will continue to make every effort to keep costs low for our students in order to fulfill our mission of making a quality college education accessible for as many in our community as possible," he added.

At all ACCD colleges, tuition and fees for 15 credit hours in the spring 2004 semester will total approximately $649 per semester, depending on whether or not a student enrolls in courses with lab or other additional fees.

The ACCD colleges have joint admission, articulation and 2+2 agreements with a wide range of four-year colleges and universities in Texas and across the country. These agreements assure that credits earned at ACCD colleges will transfer to the four-year institutions, so students can take advantage of the lower costs at ACCD colleges to enroll for their first two years of college and transfer to a four-year college or university.

According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the average charge for tuition and fees at four-year public universities in Texas for 15 credit hours is $3,779. The national average for tuition and fees at a four-year public university, according to the College Board, is $4,694. Also, according to the College Board, the average tuition and fees for a two-year public college is $1,905.

The colleges of the ACCD—Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto College St. Philip's College and San Antonio College—enrolled nearly 49,000 credit students in fall 2003. The ACCD is the second largest community college district in the state and all ACCD colleges are accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.