No Tuition Increase For Rowan College At Burlington County

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — Rowan College at Burlington County is freezing tuition for the upcoming academic year while planning a larger return to in-person learning in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The college’s board of trustees approved the college’s $43.9 million budget for 2022 this week. It is down 1 percent from the 2021 budget and 6.8 percent from the 2020 budget, according to officials. It was scheduled to go before the Burlington County Board of School Estimate for approval Thursday.

“After a year of turmoil that has stressed many families’ financial situation, Rowan College at Burlington County made it a priority to hold the line on the costs of high-quality education,” Rowan College at Burlington County President Dr. Michael A. Cioce said. “Recent trends with vaccination and COVID rates provide optimism that we have turned a corner and can bring more students and staff back to campus this fall.”

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“Ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality education is an important priority for the Burlington County Board of Commissioners and a critical part of the county’s response to the COVID pandemic,” Burlington County Commissioner Director Felicia Hopson said. “We share the college’s goal of keeping costs for students stable during a very challenging time and look forward to continued progress against COVID and hope to see more students on campus soon.”

The college is aiming for 50 percent in-person classes, up from 15 percent the past two semesters. The move comes as New Jersey prioritizes educators for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The college’s COVID task force has been meeting regularly to plan a safe expansion of on-campus activity for students and staff. Current protocols can be found at rcbc.edu/reopening.

“Many students, faculty and administrators are eager to return to campus in a greater capacity with the safety protocols that have protected the RCBC community against any COVID spread over the past year,” Cioce said. “Although this represents a large expansion of on-campus seats, they are still limited, so students should register as soon as possible if they want to be on-campus in the fall.”

The college also received an independent audit report that contained no issues of concern, officials said.