Community college tuition has been raised so much that students are now paying what a University of Washington student paid just over ten years ago.
College officials are saying that $4,000 to $5,000 a year at a community college for full time tuition is still a bargain compared to what it costs to go to the University of Washington today.
The 34 community and technical colleges in Washingston state have about 6 percent fewer students this fall.
The executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Marty Brown, believes the drop in student enrollment is due to factors like tuition and the fact that some students are going back to work.
Some students have seen their tuition and fees go up from about $1,100 per quarter two and a half years ago to about $1,500 per quarter this year.
According to Brown, colleges have not been able to meet students' financial aid needs but they are trying to keep up with financial aid by having online classes and open source textbooks.
