Catawba College students will see only a two percent increase in tuition and room costs for the 2014-2015 academic year. However, a new state of North Carolina law that took effect January 1, 2014 mandates that colleges and universities collect sales tax on student meals.* This caused a higher than expected increase in Catawba's board fees for '14-'15; board cost will increase an additional 7% as a result of the sales tax, for a total of 9% (as a result, the total increase for tuition, room and board is 2.8%).
Again this year, college trustees set the tuition, room and board fees for the next academic year at their October board meeting in order to give both current and prospective students and their families time to make their financial plans for next year.
"The college has worked diligently to keep our overall costs low in these challenging times," said Catawba President Brien Lewis.
Even though the new N.C. sales tax on meals sold to students goes into effect January 1, we chose to hold the line and not have an incremental boarding increase in the middle of this academic year. We want our students and their families to understand how outside forces often impact the institutional rates we set."
The increases are based in part on HEPI (Higher Education Price Index) and what this annual index indicates about pricing of the "basket of goods" offered by colleges and universities. It is an inflationary tracking measure similar to the Consumer Price Index.
Following is a complete list of Catawba's rates and fees for the 2014-2015 academic year:
|
2014-2015
|
2013-2014
|
% Increase
|
|
|
Tuition
|
$27,360
|
$26,820
|
2.0%
|
|
Room
|
$5,580
|
$5,470
|
2.0%
|
|
Board
|
$4,300
|
$3,940
|
9%
|
|
Total
|
$37,240
|
$36,230
|
2.8%
|
| Other [Per Credit Hour | |||
| School of Evening & Graduate Studies |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| J-Term [Winter Term] |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| Davidson County Community College |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| Central Piedmont Community College |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| Summer School |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| Graduate |
$175
|
$170
|
2.9%
|
| Post-Bac. |
$335
|
$330
|
1.5%
|
| Part-time |
$685
|
$680
|
0.7%
|
| Private Music Lessons [per ½ hr.] |
$445
|
$440
|
1.1%
|
| Audit |
$60
|
$60
|
0.0%
|
| Overload |
$420
|
$420
|
0.0%
|
| Credit by Exam (day) |
$210
|
$210
|
0.0%
|
| FEES – [Per Semester] | |||
| Parking Day (per semester) |
$50
|
$50
|
0.0%
|
| Parking SEGS (per semester) |
$25
|
$25
|
0.0%
|
| Commuter Dining Dollars (per semester) |
$50
|
$50
|
0.0%
|
*Session Law 2013-316 signed into law August 23, 2013 by the N.C. Governor, repeals the exemption in G.S. 105-164.13(27) effective January 1, 2014. G.S. 105-164.13(27) provides an exemption for the sale at retail and the use, storage, or consumption in this State of "[p]repared food and food served to students in dining rooms regularly operated by State or private education institutions or student organizations thereof." As a result of the repeal of the exemption, sales of prepared food and food served to students in dining rooms by institutions of higher education are subject to tax effective January 1, 2014.
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