N.H. community colleges expect to increase tuition after funding cuts - Michael McCord, Seacoast Online

When Community College System of New Hampshire trustees meet Tuesday at Great Bay Community College they will likely announce a record tuition increase to help offset an $8 million cut in state funding. Tuition hikes for CCSNH students come in the wake of near double-digit tuition increases announced last week for University System of New Hampshire students. USNH trustees set hikes at 8.7 percent for the University of New Hampshire and 9.7 percent for students at Keene State College and Plymouth State University. By comparison, the near $6,000-per-year cost at one of the state's seven community colleges remains a bargain, said Great Bay Community College President Will Arvelo. Great Bay at Pease International Tradeport faces an estimated $1 million cut from the school's $12 million operating budget. "We already run a bare-bones budget," he said.