The East Central College Board of Trustees Monday night approved tuition and fees for the 2017-18 academic year.Tuition will increase $4 per credit hour for in-district students, $6 per credit hour for out-of-district students and $8 per credit hour for out-of-state students. The last general increase in tuition occurred during the 2014-15 school year, ECC President Dr. Jon Bauer said.Tuition was set as follows for Tier 1 courses: In-district, $80 per credit hour; out-of-district, $117 per credit hour; out-of-state, $176 per credit hour; and international, $181 per credit hour. Tier 1 courses are general education courses and Tier 2 rates are for the four most expensive career and technical programs, including precision machining, industrial engineering technology, nursing and culinary arts.Tier 2 course tuition is as follows: in-district, $99 per credit hour; out-of-district, $145 per credit hour; out-of-state, $218 per credit hour; and international, $226 per credit hour.There were no changes in general course fees, which were set at $5.50 per credit hour for student activities; $3.50 per credit hour per support services; $5 per credit hour for technology; $5 per credit hour for facilities; and $4 per credit hour for security.New HVAC and culinary arts program course fees also were approved. An in-district student enrolled for 30 credit hours would pay an additional $120 over the course of an academic year.Based on current enrollment, the new tuition structure would bring in an estimated $270,000 in revenue, Bauer said. Approved EarlierBauer noted that typically, tuition and fees are approved in the spring.“A change in federal financial aid deadlines and procedures means it is more beneficial for students to have fees for the following academic year established in October of the prior year,” he told the board.Starting with the 2017­-18 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), students can submit their forms beginning Oct. 1, rather than Jan. 1 of the following year.Bauer said that another significant change is that the FAFSA will be completed with tax information for the “prior year,” or two years back instead of one. As a result, parents will already have filed tax returns when the FAFSA is completed.“The combination of these changes means many students will be able to apply for federal aid much earlier. Establishing the schedule of tuition and fees at the same time will enable us to better inform students about the cost of attendance and provide more accurate aid awards,” he said.East Central College