Students facing higher-cost education

Amy Jones has been working to pay for her books and half her tuition to attend Edmonds Community College.

Her server's job at a restaurant — about 30 hours a week — will fund a portion of her fourth quarter this fall.

"I can pay for it because I've been saving," said Jones, 19, who is aiming for an associate's degree. "It makes it stressful because I don't want to have to pay for it all because I have other things I need to pay for, too, and my parents can't afford it right now."

Tuition at community colleges across the state will increase 7 percent this school year, up 14 percent from two years ago.

Now, Washington residents who take 15 credit hours at Edmonds Community College or Everett Community College will pay $771 for fall tuition, or roughly $2,300 for a standard three-quarter year.

Nonresidents attending Washington community colleges will pay some of the highest tuition rates in the country. This fall, a typical class load of 15 credits for a nonresident attending Edmonds or Everett Community College will cost $2,507, or about $7,500 a year.

But both colleges expect enrollments to remain about the same. Growing numbers of high-school graduates are choosing to attend community colleges, which remain less expensive than four-year universities.

Resident tuition at the University of Washington for the 2004-05 school year, for example, is $1,762 per quarter.

"If you get your [associate's degree], you have more of a base, you could go to a four-year," said Jones, of Mill Creek. "I didn't want to specifically go into something and not realize what I want to do."

Fall registration for the two community colleges in Snohomish County began in late May and will continue through Sept. 21 at Edmonds and through Oct. 1 at Everett.

Edmonds has about 500 fewer students enrolled than the same time last year, said Michele Graves, a spokeswoman for the college.

"So many of them wait until closer to when classes start to enroll, so we don't have a clear picture for what enrollment is going to be like for fall," Graves said.

Last fall, more than 11,000 students enrolled at Edmonds and about 10,000 at Everett.

Increasing tuition signifies a shift in the proportion of state funding, with students having to pay more.

"The real story is the shift from the state subsidy onto the backs of our students," said Chris Reykdal, the operating-budget director for the state Board of Community and Technical Colleges, which has the authority to raise tuition statewide.

Between 1981 and 2003, there was a 10 percent increase in the portion of the cost of education funded by student tuition, according to Graves.

Both Edmonds and Everett community colleges also cut some tuition waivers. Everett, for instance, reduced tuition waivers for Vietnam veterans, said Stuart Barger, the college's vice president for instruction. The $120,000 saved by the waiver cuts went into the college's "needy fund" for students whose financial aid doesn't cover the full cost of tuition.

Barger said the college is trying to advise students better on using their time and money wisely.

"We're trying to help them be as efficient as they can when they're learning with us so they don't take unnecessary courses and so they're successful in the courses they do take," he said.

Edmonds Community College President Jack Oharah said the tuition increase hasn't greatly affected enrollment or aid.

"I'm sure some of our students are going to be pressed somewhat because of increased tuition," Oharah said. "But that hasn't been central to our decision-making process. It's just part of the formula."

Some students, especially non-residents, find the additional expense a burden.

"I think it's already too much, if you compare with a resident's [tuition]," said Pierre De Rotalier, a student from France.

De Rotalier works in the college's bookstore to pay for rent and food, and his parents help him pay tuition.

"I'm think I'm going to apply for a scholarship and try to work as much as I can," he said.

Jennifer Lloyd: 425-745-7809 or jlloyd@seattletimes.com