The State Board for Community Colleges established the 2016-2017 academic year in-state tuition and mandatory fees rate at $146.25 per credit hour at its regular May meeting.

Beginning this fall, in-state students will pay an additional $3.75 per credit hour — an increase of 2.6 percent — which means the cost of a typical three-hour class will increase by $11.25 and the cost of a full-time load of classes for the year will increase by $112.50.

The new rate represents the smallest increase in community college tuition in more than a decade and keeps community college tuition and mandatory fees at approximately one-third of the comparable costs at Virginia’s public four-year colleges and universities.

Virginia’s Community Colleges will use the tuition increase to pay their share of employee pay raises; rising fringe benefit costs; and costs associated with using the state’s new accounting software. It will also pay for operating costs for new buildings.

“We are grateful for the investment the McAuliffe administration and the General Assembly made in our colleges in the new biennial budget. Their partnership is essential to maintaining the affordability that is so important to our mission. This year’s modest tuition increase represents investments we must make to meet operating cost increases,” said Idalia Fernandez, chair of the State Board for Community Colleges.

The State Board increased the tuition rate for out-of-state students by $5.75 per credit hour to a total of $342.85 per credit hour. Out-of-state students make up approximately 5 percent of the total enrollment of Virginia’s Community Colleges.