DataPoints

DataPoints: Community college revenues

More than half of the $62.3 billion in community college revenues in 2017-18 came from state and local dollars, with states providing one-third.

As states expect to see a significant drop in their tax revenues due to the pandemic, two-year college advocates are concerned that it will result is less state funding for community colleges. With less funding from state and localities, public higher education institutions traditionally increase tuition to fill that gap.

However, community colleges are especially wary of increasing tuition at a time when many of their students are struggling with expenses such as food, housing, childcare and more. Some two-year colleges have announced that they plan to freeze tuition for the fall semester or the coming academic year.