CRANBERRY TWP — Students attending a Butler County Community College campus in the fall will see a tuition increase.

The college’s board of trustees unanimously approved a budget totaling $37.65 million for the period of July 1 to June 30, 2026. It represents a $410,000, or 1.10%, increase overall from the 2024-25 budget.

Alongside the budget, the board approved an increase in tuition for county, state and out-of-state students at the meeting on Wednesday, June 18.

Every student at the college will see an increase of $5 per credit, starting in the fall semester. Butler County residents’ tuition increased to $140 per credit, Pennsylvania residents to $243 per credit and out-of-state students to $343 per credit.

“We were pretty low when you compare us, I think, to the other community colleges in our area. I don’t think we were out of line here,” trustee Brian McCafferty said.

For the college’s operating fund, Friel said the finance department budgeted for a decrease in credited tuition, but an increase in student fees related to online courses. In total, the department budgeted for a $185,519, or 2.17%, loss in revenue for credited tuition and a $275,755, or 8.2%, increase in revenue for fees.

“We do think that mix of internet and in-person, that trend, will probably continue,” Frield said. “So, while you’ll still see a projected decline in overall tuition revenue, we do have a projected increase in our fees overall.”

The department also budgeted for no increase related to the salaries, wages and benefits of employees. Friel said the college has kept these expenses relatively stable over the past few years.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to make some inroads in getting those two line items to decline,” Friel said. “Ultimately, for the stability of the college, those line items will have to decline to some degree in a year-to-year basis at some point in time.”

However, trustees went on to approve a wage increase for administrators and professional and technical employees to go in effect July 1. The motion sets a limit at 2.5% of the 2024-25 salary pool for the positions.

At the end of the meeting, the board of trustees adjourned for the school year and will not host its next meeting until Sept. 17.