Tuition at the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges may increase in the fall. Tonight, the Board of Trustees will vote on a proposal to increase both in and out-of-state tuition by $6 per credit hour.
Summary
Spokesman Alan Campbell says sharp decreases in state funding are to blame.
"Our budget was cut this past year, not once but twice, during the year by the legislature and the Governor, and so that caused some real challenges for us in trying to balance our budget at the end of the year. Then, as we look forward to next year, it appears that our budget will be lower than what it was this previous year."
Campbell says the proposed increase will help balance the budget for the coming year, while still keeping tuition affordable.
"We've worked really hard to try to keep our tuition low and keep it affordable for everybody to be able to obtain their college education. So, we understand and we know that this is a hardship for our students, to have to pay the extra tuition. We sympathize with them and we wish there were other ways around this, but unfortunately this is the situation we're in."
Currently, in-state tuition at Muscatine, Scott, and Clinton Community Colleges is $149 per credit hour. It would go up to $155.
