Fees Could Rise by 30% at California Community Colleges

San Francisco — The cost of attending California’s community colleges will probably rise by 30 percent in the fall, after a legislative budget committee voted on Tuesday to approve a fee increase to help the state meet its gigantic budget deficit.

Community-college leaders had argued against raising the fees at all, but the amount of the proposed increase, from $20 to $26 per course credit, was far less than they had feared. The system’s tuition is the lowest in the country by a wide margin, and the state Legislative Analyst’s Office last week recommended tripling the fee in order to generate additional revenue and to take better advantage of federal student-aid programs.

The budget panel, which is controlled by Democrats, also rejected several higher-education cuts that had been proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican. The panel restored funds for Cal Grants, the state’s main student-aid program, as well as state support for the University of California Hastings College of the Law. The budget plans must be voted on by the full Legislature, but most of the panel’s decisions are expected to be enacted.

The fee increase would contribute an estimated $75-million annually to the 110-campus community-college system, helping it meet expected cuts in state support of about $725-million over the next 12 months. About one-third of the system’s 2.7 million students would see no effect from the increase because they receive a waiver and currently pay no fees at all. —Josh Keller