Peninsula Daily News news sources
The state Board of Community and Technical Colleges in Olympia has approved a modest tuition increase at Peninsula College and other community colleges — 2 percent for in-state residents.
Starting in the fall, a full-time Peninsula College student will pay $2,730 annually. That’s $910 a quarter, not including books and other expenses.
But the small increase wasn’t uncontested; a spokeswoman for the board said the measure passed last week 5-3.
At an earlier informational meeting, board members debated whether raising tuition during an economic downturn would discourage students from enrolling.
Gene Chase, president of the Trustees Association of Community and Technical Colleges, wondered, “$1,000 a quarter — is that going to turn people away?”
It was the first time in more than five years that the board raised tuition across the board for both part-time and full-time students.
In the past, they’ve chosen to give part-timers a break, raising tuition less or even not at all for reduced-credit loads.
Part-time classes end up costing more than a full course load.
In 2002, before trustees tried to give part-time students a break, they paid about 50 percent as much for a two-year degree as did full-time students.
Now part-time students pay about 25 percent more for their degrees.
And the board determined last week that the disparity had been reduced enough (and the increase was small enough) that they could go ahead with a blanket increase.
Nonresident tuition will increase by the same dollar amount — about $55 annually.
Tuition at community colleges is rising quickly, though not as fast as tuition at four-year schools around the state.
A decade ago, students paid $1,515 for a year of community college classes.
According to data compiled by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Board, Washington has the 24th-highest resident tuition rates in the country.
