When asked why they chose Pensacola Christian College, students—and parents—agree: it’s because of the majors and concentrations offered, the firm stand on the Bible, and the affordable prices.
“PCC does an amazing job keeping their rates as affordable as they possibly can, and we’ve always appreciated that,” said James and Louise Bryant, whose daughter graduated in May 2018. “We were confident in sending our daughter to a good Christian school—one that also wouldn’t hurt our pocket.”
President Troy Shoemaker says that the College’s effort to keep the cost down is intentional—and the direct result of God’s blessing. “PCC’s heartbeat has historically been to invest in its students. We don’t increase tuition rates at the percentage that other institutions do,” he said. “Over the years, the Lord has given the College the means to keep costs low.”
When a study was done to assess what a PCC education would cost, the results show that while a PCC education costs $21,650 per year, the College charges only $9,556 per year. “What this means is that, regardless of whether or not a student receives financial aid through a scholarship or loan, every student receives the benefit of a reduced cost automatically,” Dr. Shoemaker said.
Qualified students with financial needs can also enroll in the Work Assistance Program. Job consideration is based on financial need of the student and work availability at the time they enroll in the program. “The on-campus work program provides an avenue for students to be able to assist in paying their school bill,” said Andrea Hassell, Student Employment Director. “Students can work anywhere from 8 to 20 hours per week, and their earnings are directly applied to their school bill. It is convenient for students to be able to work on campus, especially for those that don’t have cars. Students also have the opportunity to stay and work 40 hours per week all summer, which builds a significant credit on their school bill heading into the fall semester.”
Another way students can pay their way is by applying for the Contract Work Program after attending PCC for at least one semester. With this program, qualified residence hall students would take 5 credit hours while working about 35 hours a week for two semesters. They would also work 40 hours a week during the summer during which they receive a one-week vacation and two-week vacation during Christmas break.
Rather than completing a bachelor’s degree in four years, the contract program will extend the bachelor’s to about five years because credit hours would be limited for two semesters, but the Contract Work Program allows for students to graduate with potentially little to no debt.
“My parents and I are very grateful for the affordability of PCC,” said Hannah Hall (Fr., CO), a contract work student. “I pay my own way through college, and my parents are glad that there is a college with a great education available that is also affordable for their daughter.”
In addition to benefiting from the low cost, qualifying students can apply for scholarships offered through the College. “I feel most blessed by the price because it gives a valuable life lesson to my kids,” said Yenneke Robinson, whose sons Micah (Sr., AR) and Philip (So., AR) are enrolled in the work program and qualify for the Armed Services Scholarship. “The ability to take responsibility for paying for [their] own education gives an invaluable lesson in financial responsibility, which is a very hard lesson to teach.”
Students at PCC are able to enjoy the affordable prices and have the opportunity to use student work programs available to them. Philip Robinson said, “Because of the work program, I am well on my way to graduating completely debt-free, which is something that not many students going to other colleges can say.”