NMC approves $60.4 million budget, tuition rises 3.8 percent

A full-time in-district Northwestern Michigan College student taking 30 contact hours a year will pay $195 more under the college’s new budget, a 3.8 percent tuition increase that raises the rate from $131 to $136 per contact hour. Trustees approved the balanced $60.4 million operating budget unanimously on Monday, and the numbers show taxpayers are mostly holding steady while students absorb more of the added cost pressure.

The general fee will also rise, from $35.25 to $36.75 per contact hour, adding another $45 a year for that average in-district student. NMC said the budget keeps tuition about one-third of the cost of in-state tuition at a four-year public university, a key part of its affordability pitch in Grand Traverse County.

The tax picture is not changing much. Property taxes still account for 27 percent of the operating budget, the same share as last year, while state aid slipped to 19 percent from 20 percent in the 2025-26 budget. Tuition now makes up 49 percent of operating revenue, up from 47 percent a year earlier, a sign that more of the financial burden is being pushed onto students rather than local taxpayers.

Other tuition rates will rise as well. Out-of-district tuition will increase from $280 to $291 per contact hour, out-of-state tuition from $364 to $378, and international tuition from $410 to $426. Dual-enrollment tuition for out-of-district high school students will stay at $160 per contact hour, with Grand Traverse County school districts covering that cost instead of families. In-district dual-enrolled students will be charged the lower in-district rate of $136 per contact hour.

NMC President Nick Nissley framed the budget as part restraint, part preparation for the future, and the college tied that message to its 75th anniversary year. NMC opened on Sept. 19, 1951, with 65 students in the Traverse City airport terminal building. It now enrolls more than 3,400 students and continues to position itself as one of the county’s main entry points to higher education and workforce training.

The college also said more than $2 million in institutional scholarships are available through community donors. Eligible adults over 25 without a degree can use Michigan Reconnect to cover 100 percent of in-district tuition, while the Community College Guarantee covers tuition and fees for eligible in-district recent high school graduates. For many families in Grand Traverse County, the new budget keeps NMC within reach, but it does so with a clearer reliance on student payments to keep the books balanced.