SC Lawmakers Want to Freeze In-State College Tuition Next Year. Not Everyone’s on Board

COLUMBIA, S.C. – It’s a reality many families know very well: College tuition adds up quickly, and for many schools, costs continue to increase year after year. South Carolina’s House of Representatives is debating the next state budget this week, and they want to implement another tuition freeze for in-state students at public colleges and universities for the sixth straight year.

Debate in the House

“If you would like to pursue further and get a degree or get a certificate, some way where you can better your life and your family’s life, we want to help you in any way possible,” Rep. Nathan Ballentine (R-Lexington) said.

Current public-school tuition costs for undergraduate in-state students in South Carolina range between around $10,000 and $15,000, not including other costs like books and room and board. The House budget proposal would give public colleges and universities money to freeze tuition for all students again next year, totaling to $60.7 million, less than half of what the schools collectively requested for this.

Members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus said that is still too much, arguing higher education is not a core function of government and should not receive these taxpayer dollars. “Having blue-collar workers further subsidize four-year degrees, which are frankly oversaturated,” Rep. Jordan Pace (R-Berkeley) said.

Alternate Proposal

They proposed to give that money instead to the South Carolina Department of Transportation to repair and replace aging bridges. But other lawmakers pointed out, their budget proposal already gives SCDOT $200 million for this, the amount the agency asked for in its request. Ballentine said appropriating extra dollars this year wouldn’t speed work up.

“Although it sounds good and we can go back home and tell our constituents we gave them more money, they would not see more pylons on the side of the road, they would not see more work getting done,” he said.

Costs and Trade-offs

Ballentine argued that withholding this money from colleges would come with a cost. “If we do not keep the in-state tuition down or frozen and these universities help us to help our families back home, they’ve got to come up with the money somewhere,” he said. “So they’re either going to raise tuition or, as Mr. Burns mentioned and as I don’t like, they’re going to start bringing in more out-of-state tuition. That’s just math, y’all.”

Ultimately the House voted to approve this money for tuition freezes, but it is still debating the overall budget. Then in a few weeks, the Senate will debate its version of the spending plan, so these freezes are not final yet.

Scholarship Funds Included

The House budget proposal also includes more than $400 million for scholarships like LIFE, HOPE, and Palmetto Fellows, along with need-based and tuition grants.