EGCC attendance cost ranks low

Staff report

STEUBENVILLE

The net price of attendance at Eastern Gateway Community College is ranked 48th lowest in the United States.

The college’s net price is $3,362, compared with the national average of $7,163 among all 1,200 public, two-year higher education institutions.

The net price is calculated after scholarships and grant aid are applied and considers in-state, in-district students, according to the U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics data report.

At Eastern Gateway, 88 percent of the student body are full-time, beginning students who receive grant or scholarship aid from federal, state or local governments or the college, the report stated.

Eastern Gateway’s net price is the second-lowest among two-year colleges in Ohio and lowest in its service district and the surrounding area.

The average net price is generated by subtracting the average amount of federal, state/ local government, or institutional grant or scholarship aid from the total cost of attendance.

Total cost of attendance is the sum of published tuition and required fees (lower of in-district or in-state where applicable), books and supplies, and the weighted average for room and board and other expenses.

“We are very conscious of the rising cost of higher education and the impact on all students, those receiving aid, those taking loans and those paying their bills directly. Our financial-aid staff works with students to help them discover the best method to cover the cost of their education,” said President Laura Meeks. “We want students to use their community college to receive a quality education at a reasonable cost to begin a career or to earn two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree.”