CCP board votes to raise tuition 9.4%, the school’s first increase in nine years
The increase, the first in nine years, works out to $15 per credit hour. It takes effect this fall.
Community College of Philadelphia’s board of trustees voted unanimously Thursday to raise tuition 9.4%, the school’s first increase since 2017-18.
The change amounts to an increase of $15 per credit hour. Students currently pay $159 per credit hour; with the new tuition hike, the cost rises to $174 beginning with the fall 2026 semester.
A full-time student takes a minimum of 12 credits per semester; about 66% of students, though, were part-time as of last fall. The college last spring had an enrollment of 12,400 credit students and 1,381 noncredit students, and enrollment is up 5% this spring, the school said. Overall, the school serves more than 21,000 students annually.
The vote came with no discussion, other than board chair Harold T. Epps noting that there was “great consternation” over the decision but that “it’s been nine years.”
Only one person spoke against the increase during public comment before the vote.
“You all are punching down, taking the most from those who can least afford it,” said faculty member Charlie Allison.
» READ MORE: CCP board approves a contract for new president
The tuition hike comes as the college copes with inflation, proposed flat funding from the state for the second consecutive year, and costs from contracts reached with its faculty and staff union last year. The contracts are expected to cost the school $54 million over four years, the college said.
“We do not make this decision lightly,” CCP president Alycia Marshall said in a statement released after the meeting. “This adjustment reflects our responsibility to balance access and affordability with long-term fiscal sustainability.”
Union leaders say inadequate state and city funding is the culprit.
“This is a result of the city and the state not stepping up to pay their fair share,” said Junior Brainard, copresident of the faculty and staff union.
» READ MORE: CCP faculty and staff union reaches tentative agreement, averting a strike
Philadelphia’s $39 million in funding for the college, which does not include the funds the city provides for the Octavius Catto scholarships and debt service, is about $5 million less than it was a couple of years ago, Brainard said.
“There really is a simple solution,” Brainard said. “Restore the funding and students won’t have to be handed a higher tuition bill.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker in her budget address Tuesday proposed an overall funding increase for CCP for 2026-27. Under the plan, funding would rise $1.85 million to $55.85 million, according to budget documents.
Brainard said he is concerned that the tuition increase could cause some students to forgo education at CCP.
“Already students are struggling to support themselves,” he said. “They are working full time and sometimes supporting families. Any tuition hike is going to have a significant impact.”
About 60% of CCP students receive federal Pell Grants, geared toward those from lower-income families, which would still cover the cost of tuition even with the increase, the college said.
