AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Students at Amarillo College are forking out more money for classes after regents decided to raise the school's tuition by $7 per credit hour.

Along with tuition and fees and Ad Valorem, the community college is funded by state appropriations, which the legislature cut by $6.6 million.  Amarillo College President Paul Matney said a tuition hike was necessary due to the cut in state funding.  But students will still be able to get help from financial aid, scholarships and grants.

"They do a marvelous job at helping our students have the opportunity to come receive a quality educational program at an affordable cost," Matney said.  "We're still going to be the best bargain around.  Students are still going to get a lot of bang for their buck, even with this tuition increase."

Matney pointed out the students' success is still the top priority of the institution, and it will continue to work with the students to ensure they get the education they need.

"Many of them have family obligations, many of them are working a job or two.  So, let's take a typical nine-hour load- we're increasing the district tuition by $7 a credit hour, so those students would be paying $63 more tuition than they did last year."

Matney spoke with leaders of the student government, and he said even though they were not thrilled about paying more money, they understood why it needed to be done.