You may see fewer students enrolling at Wenatchee Valley College’s two campuses this fall. The expected decline in enrollment tied to a 12 percent hike in tuitions approved last week by the State Board of Technical and Community Colleges. WVC President Jim Richardson expects that to result in empty classroom seats.

Richardson says the tuition hike comes at a bad time when students are increasingly looking to community colleges for new job skills during the down economy. The Tuition increase creates a double-whammy for colleges because smaller enrollment means less revenue.

Richardson warns that local high school students looking to enroll in the “Running Start” program will also be affected with a limit being set for the number of credits that can be earned without additional cost to the students.

Tuition for a full-time student at WVC will climb from $3,100 per year to about $3,500 per year.