WATERLOO - Students will pay 3.2 percent more for Hawkeye Community College classes next fall.

The Board of Trustees Tuesday unanimously approved a $4 per credit increase in tuition and fees for Iowa residents, bringing the 2009-10 rate to $128. Tuition is rising $8 to $121 per credit and fees are dropping $4 to $7 per credit.

Students taking a full load of 12 credits will pay $1,536 in tuition and fees per semester, $48 more than this year. Trustee Ruth Niemann said that is "still a bargain" compared to other area colleges.

U.S. citizens from outside of Iowa will pay another $25 per credit, bringing their tuition and fees to $153. That is $27.50 less per credit than nonresident students paid this year. International students' tuition will be double the in-state rate, bringing it to $249 per credit with fees.

The increase for in-state students is a bit below most recent years.

Tuition at Hawkeye has risen either $5 or $6 per credit annually since 2001-02. The 2008-09 increase was 4.2 percent over the previous year.

Hawkeye's tuition and fees remain near the average of $127.11 per credit for nine of the 15 community colleges across the state that had set their rates by last week. Those colleges' tuition and fees ranged from $111 to $151 per credit.

"That is in the context that Iowa as a state has the ninth largest tuition in the nation," said Galen Howsare, vice president of administration and finance. The college faced additional funding challenges for next year because of an expected $1.7 million state aid decrease.

Howsare said Hawkeye was able to hold its increase down below recent years due to salary concessions by college employees. United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 855 agreed to freezing salaries and benefits for next year. Salaries and benefits for non-bargaining employees will be frozen next year, as well, and they will be subject to furloughs.

Linda Allen, vice president of academic affairs, said the decision to double in-state rates for international students has already been made by many community colleges in Iowa.

"Many community colleges - especially our neighboring community colleges - are charging double, because there's a lot more paperwork," she said, for a student coming from another country.