Chemeketa Community College on Thursday, April 16. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Chemeketa Community College’s board unanimously approved a tuition increase that would result in a full-time student paying between $180 and $270 more for a year of classes starting this fall.
It’s the sixth year in a row tuition has increased as Salem’s community college has struggled to balance rising personnel costs and falling enrollment. The increase will bring the college’s cost more in line with the average price of other Oregon community colleges.
This year’s increase will depend on state funding levels set by the Oregon Legislature later this spring.
If Oregon funds community colleges at less than $700 million for the 2021-23 biennium, Chemeketa’s tuition and fees will increase by $6 per credit to $132.
If state funding is higher, the increase will be $4 per credit, to $130.
The larger increase would result in a full-time student taking 45 credits paying $5,940 for a year of classes, up from $5,670 this year.
Out-of-state and international students would see an increase of either $1 or $2 per credit, to $260 or $261.
Chemeketa’s board approved the increase at a meeting Wednesday evening. More information about the increase is available in the board packet starting on pg. 39.
-Rachel Alexander
