LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some Kentuckians may be expected to pay more for college in the upcoming academic year.

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education approved increases in tuition and fees for six public universities and the Kentucky Community & Technical College System for the 2024-25 school year.

KCTCS’s tuition this fall will be $189 per credit hour, which is a $3 increase from last year. KCTCS plans to put the money made from increasing tuition costs toward mental health services for students and professor recruitment and retention.

“If we want to make sure that we have student success, we've got to make sure that we have the wraparound services that they now require,” said Ryan Quarles, president of KCTCS. “We also want to make sure that we’re able to attract and retain quality instructors.”

Even with the increase in costs, students can get help through federal student aid and scholarships.

“Me and everybody that I know haven’t really felt (the increase of tuition costs) because the government pays for our tuition, so we don’t have to put nothing out of our own pockets,” said Didier Byosse, Jefferson Community and Technical College sophomore.

Byosse is majoring in business with a concentration in marketing. He applied for federal financial aid, which covered all of his tuition to attend JCTC.

Many students are taking advantage of financial aid and scholarships, which have contributed to student loan debt levels falling across the board, according to a recent CPE report.

Byosse said he recommends those who plan to go to college look into scholarships.

“I think people need to try to find scholarship opportunities and just sign up for them, even though it might seem like you might not win it,” Byosse said.

Only 12% of KCTCS students take out student loans, Quarles said.