Capitol president Dr. Michael T. Wood has renewed Capitol's commitment to providing access to an affordable and practical education during these difficult economic times.
Dr. Wood stated, "Capitol College remains committed to providing a quality education that is accessible, affordable and practical during these challenging economic times. While our economy is in turmoil, the need remains for qualified and highly skilled individuals in engineering, engineering technology, computer science and information technology. Capitol College is pivotal to fulfilling this need."
Several proactive initiatives by Capitol in 2008 fall under this renewed sense of commitment. In the spring of 2008, Capitol froze current undergraduate tuition at the 2007 level of $9,392 per semester for full-time engineering, computer science and technology students, while continuing to provide a five-year tuition lock for all full-time undergraduates.
The graduate student tuition rate remains at $540 per credit hour, a tuition rate recognized by the national editorial review team at GetEducated.com as delivering a high-quality distance degree to a national audience at tuition rates well below the national average. All graduate programs at Capitol are offered online.
Dr. William V. Maconachy, vice president for academic affairs at Capitol commented, "Capitol's online graduate-level degrees are specifically designed to be relevant and very accessible for the working adult." Tuition reductions are also offered to many of Capitol's partners, including federal agencies and government-based contractors.
The tuition for the undergraduate business program was also reduced nearly 50 percent, effective this past fall, as another example of Capitol's commitment to an accessible higher education and addressing the needs of the business community.
Capitol also continues to provide the Capitol College Commitment, a job placement guarantee for qualified bachelor's degree students in the fields of engineering, engineering technology, computer science, information technology and business. If, within six months of graduation, a student has not been offered a job at a nationally competitive salary, Capitol College will provide up to one year of additional undergraduate study, tuition free, while students continue their job search. Graduates are often employed in local and regional companies such as Lockheed Martin, NASA, US Department of Defense – Fort Meade, Booz Allen Hamilton and SAIC.
While Capitol College is not exempt from the challenges resulting from the economy, more than 80 percent of Capitol students continue to take advantage of one or more financial aid programs to assist them with their education expenses through scholarships, grants, loans and state aid. While endowments across the board in higher education and other non-profits are not generating the revenue as they did in years past to provide financing for scholarships, Capitol continues the same level of scholarship commitment. This occurs through monitoring enrollment, implementing new opportunities for partnerships, and fundraising. State aid to students at private colleges through Sellinger funding was recently reduced, placing an even greater burden on instate students relying on this resource.
Dr. Wood also recently announced several immediate steps the college took so students can continue to have access to an affordable education. These actions included reducing department budgets and freezing new hires. For more information on recent developments, read Dr. Wood's personal message to the college's friends and benefactors.