Gov. Rick Scott has challenged state colleges to provide bachelor’s degree programs that don’t cost more than $10,000, and although the proposal drew both praise and scorn, the head of the first school to take the bait thinks he can make it work.
Scott announced the plan to address rising college costs and student debt today at St. Petersburg College, where its president, Bill Law, said he would target the school’s Technology Management and Development program for the first $10,000 degree.
“We’re working through the parts. We don’t know exactly how it’s all going to work yet,” Law said. “We think we can make this work.”
Typically, a student pays just more $13,000 for a bachelor’s degree from a state college. The figure rises to $18,000 for students who spend two years at a state college and then two more at a state university, and $24,000 for a full four-year run at a state university.
Scott’s proposal isn’t aimed at the 12-school university system, which includes the University of South Florida. And it won’t affect Hillsborough Community College, which does not provide four-year degrees.
But others in the 28-school state college system are being asked to focus on affordability. After the stop at St. Petersburg, Scott visited Valencia College in Orlando, where he announced that the host school and five additional colleges were on board.
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