BATON ROUGE - As capital city residents continue to recoup from the health and financial effects of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, Baton Rouge Community College is making adjustments to its policies and procedures to support students who were hard hit. 

According to The Advocate, the school is nixing non-resident fees and waiving online fees for students this fall in addition to suspending fees that are normally required of new students.

BRCC Chancellor Willie E. Smith issued a statement Saturday, explaining the reason for the change in policy, saying, “We are aware that many members of our community will need BRCC more than ever after dealing with the repercussions from COVID-19. We hope that by eliminating some of the financial burden, we can be a key partner in assisting people with getting the necessary training and credentials to begin their careers or continue their studies.”

The elimination of non-resident fees will save full-time students more than $2,000 and full-time online non-resident students approximately $2,500. This means out-of-state students will be charged approximately half of the cost over last year.

BRCC will offer general education courses through online live instruction, called synchronous, and asynchronous, online streaming on the student’s schedule. Technical Education and Nursing and Allied Health classes, along with some labs, will be offered through a hybrid design, where students will complete some coursework online and attend some face-to-face classes on campus in a sanitized environment, while practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

The college will continue to offer support for students with technology needs, and student services will remain online through the Virtual Student Center.

The Fall 2020 semester also offers the following institutional aid options:

-Enroll in 15 hours and earn a $600 institutional award

-Enroll in 12 hours in a hands-on technical program and earn a $600 institutional award

-Enter the Work Ready U Program at BRCC and concurrently enroll in 6 credit hours to earn a $500 institutional award

-Complete the HISET with BRCC and earn a $500 institutional award towards enrollment in the next semester

All registration and enrollment for the fall semester will be handled online. Students can visit www.mybrcc.edu or call 1-866-217-9823 for questions and information.