News Photo by Crystal Nelson Alpena Community College student Brett Budnik on Thursday studies in the Besser Technical Center in Alpena.

ALPENA — The Alpena Community College Board of Trustees on Thursday agreed to a 3% tuition increase, beginning with the fall semester.

In-district tuition will increase by $4 per contact hour to $141 per contact hour while out-of-district tuition will increase by $7 per contact hour to $224 per contact hour.

College President Don MacMaster called it “a modest increase.” He said the increase would partially offset a 7.7% decline in enrollment for the current fiscal year.

“The college is always mindful of the cost of education and its impact on students,” he said, noting there are scholarship and grant opportunities available to students to help offset the cost of education.

MacMaster said he wanted the board to approve the tuition increase before the board adopted the budget for the 2022 fiscal year so students planning to attend college next fall know what they will pay.

“That’s helpful for them,” he told the board.

MacMaster said college officials are optimistic about the upcoming fiscal year. He said they understand the state’s fiscal situation is better than what it was last year. They also believe enrollment will be better in the fall, he said.

“We think those two things will be better,” he said. “We’re optimistic about fiscal year 2022. We’ve just come through fiscal year 2021, which was a year of dealing with the pandemic and its effects.”

Tuition did not increase for students this year, as college officials recommended a tuition freeze to keep college affordable during the pandemic.

MacMaster said the college continues to be affordable for students, especially when compared to four year institutions. He said costs are also competitive with similar community colleges who enjoy better property tax revenues.