Community college tuition has soared - DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Community college tuition has gone up so much during the economic downturn that students at Washington’s two-year colleges are now paying what a University of Washington student paid nearly a decade ago. College officials say $4,000 to $5,000 a year in full-time tuition, depending on credit hours and majors, is still a bargain compared to what it costs to go to UW today but the state’s 34 community and technical colleges do have about 6 percent fewer students this fall. Marty Brown, the executive director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, believes that drop in student enrollment is due to a number of factors, including tuition and the fact that some people are going back to work. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/10/25/2344193/community-college-tuition-has.html