Iowans can now get discounted tuition though a new program at the College Center in South Sioux City, Nebraska. The school is a partnership between Northeast Community College and Wayne State College, both in Nebraska. Jay Collier, a spokesman for Wayne State, says the tuition discount program is called The Bridge.
“Our plan was to serve students in South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, in that area,” Collier says. “As we were sitting and thinking about the program and thinking about what’s the symbol for this, what do we call it, we settled on The Bridge because the bridge across the Missouri there is really symbolic of the connection between those three states.”
The Bridge is a three-year pilot program and will set undergraduate tuition at the College Center at the in-state rate plus one dollar for students outside Nebraska. “It helps bridge the gap between out-of-state and in-state tuition for our students,” Collier says. “It’s all part of our mission to serve the area and it’s been our intent all along. We’re hoping this will drive enrollment. Sioux City and South Sioux City are one of the fastest growing areas in the country right now, economically, and we want to be part of that.”
He calls it a “very affordable option” for students. The College Center opened in March of 2011 as an educational model unique to Nebraska and the region.
Learn more at: “www.collegecenter.org“