New Hampshire's community colleges want $6.4 million in new money in the next budget to lower tuition by $10 per credit hour.
College officials requested the money during budget hearings Friday that serve as a starting point for crafting the next two-year state budget. Those officials promise the $6.4 million, split between the two years, would be used only to lower tuition from $200 to $190 per credit hour. New Hampshire's community college tuition is higher than Connecticut's and Massachusetts' but lower than Vermont's. Chancellor Ross Gittell says keeping costs low is critical to attracting students and training them for workforce needs.
Officials want an additional 3 percent increase — about $1.3 million — in the budget's second year for a roughly $47 million budget in fiscal year 2017.
