The non-resident tuition fee for Citrus College students is set to increase in the coming 2023-2024 academic year.
The Citrus College Board of Trustees on Feb. 21 2023 voted to set the non-resident tuition fee for the 2023-24 school year at $360 per unit.
An additional fee of $7 per unit will also be charged as a capital outlay.
This new fee increase will take effect for all course terms beginning or ending on or after July 1.
The non-resident tuition has steadily increased over the past five years. This is opposed to in-state tuition fees, which are free for California residents.
The change in the fee for non-residents was based on the use of district expenditures for credit classes and the two-year inflation factor of 1.097%
The non-resident fee will jump from $332 in the 2022-2023 session to $360 in the upcoming 2023-2024 session.
This new fee shows an 8% increase in tuition prices.
The agenda of the meeting of the board of trustees said the law regarding non-resident tuition allows the district to charge up to its calculated per-unit capital outlay rate plus one of the following per-unit rates:
- The statewide average rate of $414
- The district computed rate of $360
- Up to the level charged by the neighboring college district
- The highest statewide average rate for the succeeding year, current year, or prior four years-$414
- Up to the preceding fiscal year average rate of 12 comparable states based on the cost of living
The table below from the Board of Trustees meeting shows the price increase of non-resident tuition for the last five years.
Even though the price of non-resident tuition is going up at Citrus College, it is still lower than the non-resident fees charged by half of the neighboring public community colleges. The table below from the board of trustees meeting agenda shows the proposed non-resident fees charged by neighboring community college districts in the coming 2023-2024 academic calendar.
International students are classified as non-residents and are thus required to pay non-resident tuition fees.
Lorenzo Desiderio-Giampiccolo, a theater and film major, is an international student from Italy who is in his first year at Citrus.
Desiderio-Giampiccolo said he thinks that the non-resident fee “is way too expensive” given the fact that international students are required to enroll in at least 12 units.
Desiderio-Giampiccolo said he can’t get any financial aid and that it is a lot to bear the burden of a tuition increase.
He understands the effect that inflation has on the tuition increase but it still doesn’t change the price he has to pay.
He also said that he is not eligible for a residency reclassification which allows him to pay in-state tuition because only students with work visas can become residents.
