YAKIMA, Wash. -- Days before Aryell Adams learned of next fall's 14 percent tuition hike at Central Washington University, she knew she could no longer afford to go there.

The 19-year-old sophomore already owes $20,000 in student loans, and she doesn't want to go further in debt.

Instead, she's transferring to Haskell Indians Nation University in Lawrence, Kan., which offers free tuition and housing to people of Native American descent.

"I was just thinking about everything all put together, and I couldn't afford it again," Adams said about attending Central, which has about 9,700 students. "I feel forced to move, but right now, financially, it is the right decision."

Unlike Adams, most students don't have the option of free schooling. Instead, as tuition increases and state support declines, they must decide whether a college education is something they can still afford.

"(The tuition increase) makes it harder to go to school," Adams said. "A lot of students will have to either drop out or do something else to get more money."

Central's board of trustees has imposed a 14 percent tuition hike on students for two consecutive years. The move, mirrored by Washington's other public universities, was prompted by lack of state funding.

Each of four universities comparable to Central will charge full-time, in-state students roughly $5,600 for the 2010-2011 school year. A decade ago, Central charged $913 for tuition and fees.

Central had already lost $18 million from the state last spring and will lose as much as $6 million next year.

As a result, Central's students for the first time in history will pay more than half the cost of their education -- compared with the 25 percent they paid in 1975.

Rep. Bill Hinkle of the 13th legislative district, which includes Central, was unavailable to answer questions on state funding Friday afternoon.

"This is a national trend," said Sid Morrison, chairman of the university's board of trustees. "People want their kids to have higher educations because that's the key to financial success. The political world is not viewing it that way."

Student Government President Keith James shares this mindset. Instead of blaming the board for the tuition increase, he holds legislators and the voting public responsible.

"It worries me that we're not in any type of direction to set ourselves up for long-term success," he said. "College is an opportunity to give you a better life, an opportunity to compete. Why are we creating more roadblocks to do that?"

Senior Roxann Smith said she feels especially vulnerable. She has one year left at Central before she begins nursing school. She already works 40 hours a week at two jobs, one of which is for a work-study program on campus.

Not only does she have to save for the tuition increase, she's anxious about funding for the work-study program, which legislators may cut when the special session concludes later this month.

Through the offering, students take part-time jobs on campus related to their career goals and earn money for college. This year, Central students received about $1.3 million through the program. Eligible students submit an approved Free Application for Federal Student Aid. They demonstrate financial need, enroll at least half time and maintain satisfactory grades.

"This year, by the grace of God, I got work study," the 22-year-old said. "Last year, my rent was late many times. I overdrafted my account, I was crying. ... I couldn't survive. I don't want to go back to where I was last year."

Smith doesn't have family support to pay for college, and financial aid isn't a guarantee. Already, she thinks twice before spending money to go out with girlfriends or driving home to the Seattle area.

"People say, 'Wait until you graduate and enter the real world,'" she said. "I live in the real world now."

CWU President James Gaudino, who recently completed his first year on the job, predicts the level of state funding will continue to decline until the public becomes outraged and takes a stand. So far, that's not happening.

"We're going through a dark time and I think it will continue," he said. "We'll see a few years of substantial tuition increases. This is serious."

Administrators such as Gaudino believe a higher education benefits society. Studies show that people with a four-year degree are more well-rounded. They're better critical thinkers and they're more apt to become involved in civil and governmental affairs, Gaudino said.

But leaders in Olympia tout the personal advantages of receiving a higher education. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, people with a bachelor's degree earn an average of $2.1 million during their working lives, versus $1.2 million for high school graduates.

"I fear the state is beginning to say, implicitly, that an education is a private, personal benefit -- therefore the costs are correctly born by the individual," Gaudino said. "I haven't heard anybody come right out and say that. Most of the conversation is about jobs, how you'll get more if you earn a degree."

James said the quality of education at Central is already beginning to suffer by having fewer elective offerings and larger class sizes.

"When these things are happening, it's hard for students to see anything in quality," he said. "We should be getting even more of an investment, considering we're paying more for the product."

The overall educational experience for students is changing, Gaudino said. Hiring and salary freezes will continue, and for the first time, faculty positions may be cut next fall.

With the university being a major employer in Central Washington, job losses could have a serious effect on the economy, Gaudino said.

In 2007, Central contributed $268.5 million to the state economy through goods and services, payroll and capital improvements. That same year, the university's activities generated $170 million in personal income and created almost 3,760 full- and part-time jobs throughout the state.

"If you lay off someone in a large urban area like Seattle, there may be another job that person is qualified to do in town," he said. "In Ellensburg, there might not be another job opportunity, putting that person onto the unemployment ranks. This means a loss of income and health care for a family."

Surrounded by many rural communities, Central's student population comes largely from within the state. But unless the state does more to invest in its own, future skilled workers will increasingly come from outside Washington, Gaudino said.

As unsettling as this may seem, Gaudino said he can understand the reasoning.

People, as a whole, are concerned about taxes and health care -- which personally affect them throughout their lives. They're only worried about higher education for a limited time, when they or their children go to college.

"When they cut state support, the general public usually doesn't complain," Gaudino said. "You can't really blame legislators. ... We all have to get angry at this. The rank and file has to say this isn't the public policy that I want."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.