TRAVERSE CITY -- Some of next year's maritime students at Northwestern Michigan College could face tuition rate hikes of 50 percent or more.
NMC trustees this week discussed financial concerns with the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, including potential tuition hikes and plans to seek state funding to help support the program. There currently are about 120 GLMA students.
"The costs of our program continue to rise beyond the ability of the college to fund it at the level of quality it needs to be," said Stephen Siciliano, NMC vice president for educational services.
The current budget for GLMA is about $1.5 million, but costs are expected to increase in coming years because new federal regulations will require cadets to cruise for 60 days, instead of the current 20 days. Tuition increases will help offset the costs of the new federal rules, Siciliano said.
The academy is a maritime training school that prepares students to become deck or engineering officers on vessels in the Great Lakes and on the oceans. Cadets have 100 percent job placement after graduation.
Increased GLMA tuition would come with greater financial aid for upperclassmen through partner institution Ferris State University, Siciliano said.
Proposed tuition 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 for deck and $7,764 to $12,154 for engine students, if approved by trustees in September.
"That's a big kick in the shorts," said Mark Bancroft of Kingsley, a GLMA freshman at age 42.
Bancroft also works to support his family and said a significant tuition hike could make it difficult to continue with the program.
Out-of-state deck cadets could see a jump in tuition of about 27 percent, while out-of-state engine cadets may see an increase of more than 32 percent.
The proposed increase doesn't bother freshman Ben Foster, 21, of Virginia.
"If it gets increased, I'm sure it will be used for the correct things," he said, noting fuel costs are on the rise.
Any jumps in education costs will be made up and paid for when he joins the work force, Foster said.
Not every cadet agrees, though.
"It would hamper a lot of people's ability to come here," said Emery Barg, 41, a GLMA freshman from Missouri.
If the proposed rates are approved, it will bring all GLMA rates above estimated program costs for non-residents at comparable maritime academies in California, New York and Texas. However, rates would remain below those for non-residents at academies in Maine and Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, NMC leaders intend to seek state funding through the Legislature. They hope for designated state funding within two years.
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