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** Additional Cost Statistics**

Community colleges are a good value for students and taxpayers, and keeping education affordable for students is the main way community colleges fulfill their commitment to access. In fact, in most states community college tuition costs less than one high-end computer. (PDF, 13 KB)

Tuition and fees at public community colleges average less than half of those at public four-year colleges and about one-tenth those at independent four-year colleges. (PDF, 10 KB)

Community college students learn in relatively small classes from instructors whose primary responsibility is teaching, not research, and average student-teacher contact time is higher at community colleges than at other higher education institutions.

Although community colleges have long relied on the triumvirate of local, state and federal appropriations for revenue, state funding is the key budget variable. Generally, where state support is high, tuition is low. Many community colleges were charging little or no tuition when the first budget cuts were launched from state capitals 20 years ago. Tuitions have since increased to make up for the funds lost to voters' demands for tax relief and other government sectors' demand for funding. Tuitions, however, have not filled the gap. For years revenues barely kept pace with expenditures, and financial belt tightening became the standard operating procedure on community college campuses.

Direct federal appropriations have dropped since 1980. These, however, have been replaced by large increases in federal grants and contracts to community colleges. The federal government has become the primary source of the financial aid. (PDF, 12.5 KB) More than 30 percent of all Pell Grants go to community college students. (PDF, 12.5 KB) Federal student loans, which must be repaid, also have increased in number and size during the past decade.

Overall, local funding has remained a steady portion of community college budgets. Some community colleges have delved into fundraising, particularly for scholarships. Endowments, while growing, are small compared with those at four-year institutions.

The state budget surpluses generated by the more robust economy of the mid-1990s provided some relief. However, concerns about accountability mean that new funds frequently come with performance goals attached. The financial stress has prompted community colleges to collaborate with other institutions and corporations, especially for new technology.

Nationally, community colleges are experiencing a trend of more generous allocations from the states. In many cases for the first time in years, finances are available for capital construction. The colleges continue to invest primarily in student-oriented services, however, dedicating about 75 percent of budgets to student-related expenditures. (PDF, 13 KB) With the technological and demographic changes facing the colleges, strategic planning remains paramount to maintaining effectiveness and viability in the 21^st century.

Based on material from National Profile of Community Colleges: Trends & Statistics, Phillippe & Patton, 2000.

** Additional Cost Statistics**

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