By Stefani Gray Hicswa, Ph.D, Miles Community College President

Whether you are a senior in high school or a person who is seeking retraining opportunities, you might be questioning college costs and accessibility in this time of economic hardship. Having a community college as an option should help alleviate some of your anxiety about whether or not you can afford to start your educational endeavors. Let me give you some examples of why you can afford to attend college this summer or fall at Miles Community College.

1. Stability in tuition and fee costs: Miles Community College has made a commitment to its students by not increasing the college's basic tuition and fee costs for the third year in a row.
   
   
2. Increased Pell Grant funding: The economic stimulus package provides an increased Pell Grant for 2009-2010. The maximum Pell Grant for a full-time student will jump from $4731 to $5350. Over 38% of our students receive Pell Grant funding. To see whether or not you are eligible for the Pell Grant, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
   
   
3. Increased student loan limits: While we strive to minimize student loan indebtedness, there comes a time when student loans become the only option for some students. We want to ensure students that as long as they are eligible for the Federal Stafford Loan program, we have funding available for them. The maximum loan limit for dependent freshmen students is $5500 for the year, pending eligibility. Independent freshmen students can borrow up to a maximum of $9500 for the year, pending eligibility. The current average loan indebtedness for our students during the 2008-2009 academic is $4393.
   
   
4. Choosing to stay "home" for the first two years: If you have applied to multiple colleges, you are probably starting to get your financial aid offers. Do your homework carefully. What does your award letter really say? How much loan money do you have to borrow to cover your costs? If you are a dependent student, are your parents having to borrow a parent loan? Do you have to take out alternative private loans in addition to Stafford Loans to cover your costs? Consider this - if you choose to stay home and you are a Custer County resident, one semester of basic tuition and fees for 15 credits will cost you $1710.
   
   
5. Ease of transferability: The Montana Board of Regents is requiring all colleges within the Montana University System, community colleges included, to implement common course numbering. This ensures that courses will transfer with ease between colleges in the MUS system, saving you time and money. Our students continue to also have great success in transferring to colleges in North Dakota, South Dakota, and beyond.

If you have any questions or want to compare costs of Miles Community College with other colleges you are considering, please contact Jessie Dufner, Director of Enrollment Services, at 874-6226. If you need help completing your FAFSA, we can also help with that regardless of where you intend to go to college.