WARREN — Northern Pennsylvania Regional College’s Board of Trustees recognizes the challenging economic times students continue to endure. To help students meet these challenges, the board voted to approve a two-year suspension of institutional fees charged for academic courses.

Currently, an institutional fee is charged in addition to tuition and is based on the number of credits in which students enroll each academic term.

Degree-seeking students and students assigned student types other than early entry (dual enrollment) are charged a flat-rate fee of $100 for six or more credits. For five or fewer credits, the fee is $18 per credit hour. This fee does not apply to early entry students or for courses in which a grade of audit is requested.

What this suspension means is, beginning fall 2022, students will not be charged institutional fees for academic courses on their student bill.

NPRC also provides savings in other ways. Over 50 percent of textbooks used in courses at NPRC are free of cost to students. Lab and distance learning kits have also been supplied by the college for various classes to help students combat associated education costs.

Changes are coming to NPRC class options as well, but only to benefit students. This fall, NPRC will be offering morning courses for the first time in the history of the college, at select locations, to help students who may work a job in the evenings or have children at school during the day. This change provides more flexibility and will allow more students the chance to take classes at times that fit into the day-to-day commitments they have as caregivers or professionals.