At Santa Monica College, students struggle to get spots in the community college’s high-demand classes. Rather than continue that struggle, the college’s administration has decided to up the anti. Now, students who want to be admitted into the most popular classes must pay more up front.
Administrators will charge up to $180 per credit hour for their most popular courses this summer, according to Time Magazine. This is up from the current cost of $36 per credit hour. Because Santa Monica students may need to take those specific courses before they can transfer to a four-year university, many students may be willing to pay that extra fee.
As the New York Times notes, however, this calls into question the idea that community colleges are supposed to be a less expensive option for students. While some students may use community colleges to help them gain footing at four-year universities, others take courses at these colleges because they are the only financially-feasible option available for them.
In a worst case scenario, raising prices for in-demand classes may prohibit low-income students from finishing their education, limiting their job and future income opportunities.
In addition, it appears that the cutbacks by Santa Monica College are reflective of California’s higher education system as a whole. Last week, California’s State University system announced that it will no longer accept new admissions for the Spring 2013 semester at almost all of its 23 campuses. This means no transfer students will be admitted from community colleges. This decision will affect almost 16,000 prospective students.