Community college tuition rises as family income falls.

Byline: Joan Garrett

June 29--Cheaper tuition, a hallmark of community colleges, could be a thing of the past in Tennessee as the state continues to trim higher education funding and push the costs onto students, according to a new national report. "Concerns about college affordability have most likely been driving many students to community college," the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education stated in a recent study on two-year college affordability in all 50 states. "If current trends continue, more students will be priced out of higher education altogether."

In the last decade, the state's two-year schools have increased tuition by 73.8 percent, making Tennessee …