Recent news shows indication that California Community College is to increase its tuition fees. Students are not very pleased to hear about it, and, in fact, are already trying to dig up whatever truth they could find about the rumor. True enough, California Community College anticipates an 8% increase, possibly more, in their tuition fee rates. This is due to the inevitable budget cut that came with the new state budget deal for California State University. Even though these are separate institutions, it’s evident that a budget cut on one school affects the tuition fees of the other.

The Chronicles of Higher Education, a published online magazine, tells us that there have been a staggering total of $1.4 billion in the budget cuts alone. For universities in California presently experiencing severe budget cuts, it stands to reason that students can expect higher tuition fees in the years to come. Not long ago, Democrat and California Governor Jerry Brown proposed a second round of budget cuts on top of existing budget reduction plans on public colleges. These budget cuts are intended to help alleviate the burden of California’s current budget deficit worth $500 million. If Gov. Brown’s plans proceed as planned, the deficit itself will be covered by the end of this year, 2012.

Following the proposal, 112 community colleges of the State of California lost around $400 million of support money. That’s a 6.5% cut, which led to a very sharp incline in the “per credit hour” rates of all public institutions. From a past $26, the credit hour rate notably increased to $36.

How does it affect California students?

High school students intending to enroll this year may experience “a bit of a stretch,” to say the least. Those who are previously enrolled may encounter huge difficulties in the sudden increase of tuition fees. The majority of students, however, have been expecting the increase for a long time. There have been indicators, what with the ongoing budget cuts. It was inevitable that California’s education system will eventually take a hit. And it did take a big one.

Now, California students face a massive ordeal in putting themselves through college. State funding options and public scholarship grants fell of the list of options long ago. It was hard enough to get state funding without the added burden of state budget cuts. It should be noted that financial aids offered by a state government are also anchored to the state’s education budget.

California Community College, among many other institutions in California, will no doubt continue to increase its tuition fees in the coming years. Take note that there is no guarantee these budget cuts will be lifted once the state deficit has been cleared. That’s still a big wonder with trailing dots at the end. In the meantime, students should take comfort in the fact that private college loans could be a viable option. There are private college lenders that would be eager to help put students through college, even in these tough economic times.

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