Published August 2003

State’s community colleges face tuition increase in fall

By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer

Tuition at Washington’s 29 community colleges will take a hefty leap in the fall.

The state Board for Community and Technical Colleges voted in late June to raise tuition an average of 7 percent statewide.

For the typical full-time student taking 15 credits, tuition will increase from $661 to $714 a quarter, or about $53. For the year, that student will be paying an additional $159. Last year, tuition increased by about $240 annually.

“That’s significant money for a lot of the students,” said Charlie Earl, president of Everett Community College.

Earl won’t get any argument from Aaron Burke, 18, who recently graduated from Arlington High School and plans to study computer science. He’s working a minimum-wage job on campus to pay part of the cost. He also has a small scholarship and hopes to get a little help from his parents.

“I’m kind of concerned because it just keeps rising and rising,” he said.

The state board struggled with raising tuition again but felt it had no choice, said Lorna Sutton, a spokeswoman for the state board. It needed to offset state budget cuts.

“The main question was about the cumulative impact of all of the recent tuition increases,” Sutton said.

The Legislature in May gave the state board the authority to increase in-state student tuition by an average of 7 percent for next year. Another 7 percent increase can be passed on for the 2004-05 school year.

The state board sets tuition for the state’s community colleges, although some local fees vary.

The cost of a community college education is gradually being taken more and more out of the students’ wallets. In 1981, student tuition covered 23 percent of the cost of their education. Today, students pay more than a third of the cost.

“We are concerned about it, but we do understand the Legislature’s action,” Earl said. “We hope that in the future the state can develop a better option to fund higher education in this state.”

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