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Frederick Community College students will have to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for classes this fall.

Tuition will increase from $96 per credit hour to $103 per credit hour to make up for the loss of $1 million in county funding. The change means that a full-time student taking the minimum 12 credits would pay $1,236 per semester instead of $1,152.

"That puts pressure on the very same students who chose to come to us because they can't afford to go anywhere else," said Carol Eaton, the community college's president.

The jump in tuition is unusual for Frederick Community College, where a typical tuition increase since 2004 has been $2 or $3 per credit hour. Between 2004 and 2009, the community college's biggest tuition increase came last year when officials raised fees from $92 to $96 per credit hour.

Ramping up tuition is just one of the measures that Frederick Community College officials would have to take in response to the reduction in county funding.

The proposed fiscal 2011 budget for Frederick Community College is $45.4 million — a combination of county and state funding, tuition, and other revenues, such as fundraising.

The college was expecting $13.6 million from the county, but will only receive $12.6 million if commissioners approve their budget in June as proposed. Eaton and some Frederick Community College trustees talked about these cuts on April 22 when they met with the Frederick Board of County Commissioners to discuss the county's proposed $435 million fiscal 2011 budget.

Commissioners have been struggling to balance their budget for months, and since March have trimmed $35 million from their spending plan, making painful cuts to virtually every county department and agency and reducing their workforce by 7 percent, said Commissioners' President Jan H. Gardner (D).

The budget will not be finalized until June, and commissioners said they have been trying to give to every one of their departments a chance to weigh in on the proposed cuts.

"The value of the community college is not new to us," Gardner said. "We are just trying to share the pain over everybody."

Commissioner Blaine R. Young (R) agreed with Gardner. A graduate of Frederick Community College, Young said he has no doubts about the important role the community college plays. However, he also noted that the budget for next year could be even worse.

Even if the county could reduce its proposed $1 million cut to $500,000, next year the college would see an even larger cut, Young said.

While they recognize the difficulties that the county is facing, some community college officials said they feel that cutting $1 million is too much. The cut represents 7.3 percent of the community college budget, while the county budget reduction is only 3.1 percent.

The biggest concern for community college officials was the increase in tuition and the negative effect that would have on students.

In terms of tuition fees, Frederick Community College typically is in the middle of community colleges in Maryland, officials said. Among community colleges in Maryland, Howard Community Colleges charges the most, $116 per credit hour.

Commissioner David P. Gray (R) had a different take on that. He noted that this year, students could get up to $700 in tax breaks in order to pay for their education.

"It pretty much covers every student," he said. "I think this covers most of what you are concerned about."

Community college trustee Debra Borden, however, noted that the tax break comes a year after students have to pay for college and does not help with other expenses, such as books or college registration fees.

This year, the community college also had to increase registration fees $26 to $50, she said. "Tax credit is great for people who have money," she said.

Michael Catoe, vice president of the Frederick Community College Student Government Association, urged commissioners not to cut funding from the community college and help keep the cost of education at Frederick Community College within reach for students.

Catoe said many of his friends at the community college pay for their own college and juggle jobs and school. For those students, a large increase in tuition could easily become a reason to turn a back on their education.

"Are you really willing to put these students in that position?" he asked. "Please help me and my fellow students to realize our dreams."

E-mail Margarita Raycheva at mraycheva@gazette.net.

Rates per credit hour

2004: $80

2005: $83

2006: $85

2007: $87

2008: $89

2009: $92

2010: $96

2011: $103

Source: Frederick Community College