By Eileen McNamara
The state's Board of Regents for Higher Education is considering a more than 12 percent hike in tuition for students who attend state community colleges or one of the four state-run universities, the Connecticut Mirror reports.
Officials for the board of regents blame reductions in state funding, mandated pay raises for teachers and declining enrollments for the tuition hikes that might be needed.
The increases would impact the 12 community colleges across Connecticut that are run by the state, as well as the four state universities that also fall under the board of regents' authority, Western, Eastern, Southern and Central state universities.
Under the proposed tuition hikes being mulled by the board, tuition and fees at the state universities would increase $1,060 for commuters and $1,375 for students living on campus, the Mirror reports. Currently commuters pay $8,556 to attend one of the schools full time and $19,119 to live on campus.
The proposed tuition changes would not affect the University of Connecticut, which operates under a separate system.