Butler County Community College students will see a tuition increase of $5 per credit as the college faces a projected $2.9 million budget deficit.

Trustees passed a resolution Wednesday, June 21, fixing the tuition rate for 2023-24, and also passed the final budget for the year, which has about $39.6 million in expenditures — a decrease of about $10.7 million compared to last year.

The tuition increase will bring the cost for in-state students to $130 per credit, out-of-county residents to $233 and out-of-state residents to $333.

Nick Neupauer, president of Butler County Community College, said the college has also budgeted for a deficit of $2.9 million, which is due in part to the expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money in 2024. He also said this is the first year of his presidency that the college is running a budget deficit.