Steamboat Springs — The Colorado Mountain College system is holding tuition rates steady in the face of an economic downturn and likely increases for other colleges throughout the state, CMC officials announced last week.

CMC Executive Vice President Lin Stickler said the school system has no plans to increase tuition rates during the remainder of this school year, and it appears unlikely the rates will be increased for the following year.

“In a couple months, we will be looking at it again,” she said. “Things can change on a dime : but right now, it’s not on the radar to raise tuition.”

According to the Rocky Mountain News, Gov. Bill Ritter and the Department of Higher Education are recommending a 9 percent tuition increase at research universities, a 7 percent increase at other four-year schools, and a 5 percent increase at community colleges.

That increase would not affect CMC because it is funded through a separate system.

CMC spokeswoman Carrie Click said the college system already had set its budget before the beginning of the school year and intended to stick with those numbers.

The CMC system, which includes the Alpine Campus in Steamboat Springs, is funded by tuition and state and local taxes.

Stickler said the economic downturn has affected the college less than other institutions because local property tax incomes have remained steady.

Those taxes, derived from mill levies in the communities of each campus, contribute 73 percent of CMC’s funding. State taxes make up 13 percent and tuition the remainder.

“We do expect to experience a slight decrease in state funding, but because it is only 13 percent of our overall funding, we don’t expect it to increase our overall tuition,” Stickler said.

CMC increased tuition slightly at the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, bumping in-district costs from $43 to $46 a credit.

In-state tuition stands at $75 a credit, while out-of-state students pay $235 a credit.

Students take an average of 15 credits a semester, bringing costs for in-district students to about $675 a semester. In-state students pay an average of $1,125, while out-of-state students pay $3,525 for tuition.

– To reach Zach Fridell, call 871-4208

or e-mail zfridell@steamboatpilot.com