During his recent state of the state address, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein pushed to make community college tuition free for students entering high-demand fields.
“The people of North Carolina are our greatest asset, so to invest in our future, we must invest in our people,” said Stein, a Democrat. “Our goal is to set the national pace in growing the number of skilled workers, including doubling the number of apprentices over the next four years and empowering hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians to get the credentials that they need to secure a good paying job. So, I’m proposing that for students getting certified in high demand sectors like advanced manufacturing or healthcare or IT that we provide them free community college.”
Currently, tuition across the state’s 58 community colleges is $76 per credit hour, for an average annual tuition of $3,915. In fall 2024, 406,914 students were enrolled in NC community colleges.
The Next NC Scholarship already covers community college tuition for students from families making $80,000 or less annually. The scholarship combines state-level funds with federal Pell grants to meet the tuition requirements.
A recent analysis by Carolina Demography at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined community college graduates from the class of 2016 five years after finishing their certification or degree. The analysis found a median income of $37,200, but certain certifications and degrees were outliers to the upside, such as holders of a fire protection technology certificate with median earnings of $65,133, or associate degree holders in nursing with median earnings of $62,050.
While the idea of free tuition could resonate with some voters, critics have raised concerns about potential consequences. Completion rates at NC community colleges remain a significant hurdle, with 50% of students completing at a two-year public institution in 2024. In contrast, the completion rate at four-year public universities is 76%.
“North Carolina’s community colleges are already extremely affordable, thanks to taxpayer generosity,” said Jenna Robinson, president of the Martin Center. “Students who graduate with high-demand skills can expect an immediate return on investment. What they need isn’t necessarily free tuition, but more information about the opportunities that exist.”
House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, reaffirmed the Republican-led General Assembly’s commitment to investing in the state’s universities and community colleges during his response to Stein’s address. Hall described the state’s education system as “the best in the world” and emphasized the importance of higher education in attracting new businesses to North Carolina.