Maritime Academy tuition may jump 50 percent

FROM STAFF REPORTS

August 23, 2008 12:00 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- Tuition at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City could be increased by about 50 percent for Michigan students, a change leaders at Northwestern Michigan College will discuss at their next board meeting.

The GLMA currently does not receive any direct state funding and the proposed tuition increase would improve the financial health of the academy while state funds are sought during coming years, college officials said.

There currently are about 120 GLMA students.

The proposed hikes amount to more than 48 percent for in-state deck cadets and nearly 57 percent for in-state engine cadets. That's an increase from $7,622 to $11,321 per year for the deck program and from $7,764 to $12,154 per year for the engine program.

Proposed increases for out-of-state students are closer to 30 percent.

NMC trustees will discuss the proposed maritime tuition increases at their Monday meeting that begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Oleson Center. Action is not expected until September.

Another discussion item for the trustees is whether the college should maintain its self-funded status for health insurance benefits, or instead contract with an outside insurance agency. Nearly 300 college employees are eligible for the insurance program.

Estimates to keep the college's self-funded insurance range between $3.5 million and $4 million annually, while outsourced insurance quotes range from $4.1 million to $4.5 million annually.