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Tuition Increases at Community Colleges
Tuition and fees at community colleges rose by an average of 11.5 percent for the 2003-04 academic year, according to the American Association of Community Colleges. State and local funding cuts appear to be the major driving force for the increases, the community college association says. The association also notes that despite the jump in tuition, the cost of education at public community colleges remains lower than the cost in any other sector of higher education.
Increases varied widely by state. Maine and West Virginia had the lowest increases, less than 1 percent each, while Virginia and California had the highest. In Virginia, tuition and fees rose by 42 percent, following a four-year period with no increases. In California, where the state legislature sets tuition and fees, they rose by 60 percent. The chancellor of California's community college system reported in September that funding cuts and tuition increases will result in hundreds of thousands of students being denied access to higher education. The chancellor's report also predicted compromises in the quality of education offered to students.
By spring 2003, a sharp drop in state funding had already forced California community colleges to cut 2,500 course sections, according to the chancellor's report, causing enrollment to fall by almost 59,000 from the level of fall 2002, and by 90,000 from the level that could have been expected given a projected increase in demand as a result of population growth in the state. The increase in cost will only exacerbate the problem, the chancellor said. Despite the increase, California's community colleges remain the least expensive in the nation, according to the community college association, at approximately $450 for a year of full-time attendance.
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