AUGUSTA – For the fourth year in a row, Maine Technical College System trustees agreed Wednesday to freeze tuition at $68 per credit hour or approximately $2,040 per year for a student with a full course load.

“This action continues our commitment to addressing cost as the number one barrier to college,” MTCS President John Fitzsimmons told trustees. “It will help Maine people [gain] access to our colleges and to a better life.”

Trustee William Cohen called the move “a necessary step” so Maine can continue to have a “low-cost entry level” to higher education.

The board also appointed Timothy D. Crowley the new president of Northern Maine Technical College in Presque Isle. Crowley, who was vice president and academic dean for the past 11 years, has been serving as interim president since Jan. 1.

With the national average for public two-year colleges estimated to be about $54 per credit hour, Maine’s technical college tuition ranks among the top 10 in the nation, according to spokesperson Alice Kirkpatrick. It’s in the middle of New England’s two-year public colleges – higher than Massachusetts and Connecticut and lower than New Hampshire and Vermont, she said.

For the first time in four years, trustees voted to increase the range for college room and board rates by 10 percent so campus housing eventually can be self-supporting.

Trustees set new room and apartment rates at $1,000 to $1,875. They set board rates at $2,100 to $2,860. Campuses must fall within those rates.

Of the 6,430 technical college students, only 699 live in residence halls or apartments. But only 600 will be affected by the increase because Washington County Technical College in Calais has decided not to change its rates.

Northern Maine Technical College in Presque Isle will increase rates by only 3 percent, while Central Maine Technical College in Auburn, Eastern Maine Technical College in Bangor and Southern Maine Technical College in South Portland are expected to raise their rates 10 percent.

Also on Wednesday, the board endorsed a new, five-year strategic plan. Goals include increasing enrollment to at least 10,000 students and continuing to develop campuses into comprehensive community colleges with liberal arts and occupational courses.