Tuition at community colleges in Washington is scheduled to increase by 7% this fall. That will mean that tuition costs there have risen by more than 35% in the past five years.

For full-time students taking 15 credits, tuition will now cost $771 per quarter compared to $714 last year. For part-time students, per-credit tuition will go from $66.15 to $69.35.

This increase has caused concern in the education community. According to Suzanne Ames, spokeswoman for Cascadia Community College (Bothell, Washington), "We're serving students who often can only go to community college, and if the tuition hike means that they can't go, then our mission is hampered."

Tip: If you are looking for financial aid to go to college, be sure to check out Reference Service Press's line of award-winning financial aid directories.