What a difference two months makes.

In January, Gov. Martin O’Malley promised to freeze tuition at Maryland’s public universities for the third consecutive year, but now students and their families are worried that won’t happen.

State senators have whacked $6.8 million from budget increases to public universities, but concerned undergraduates shouldn’t despair — at least not yet, school leaders say.

“We never want to see a cut, but I have to say that with legislators having to make $300 million in cuts, they tried very hard to mitigate cuts to higher education,” said William Kirwan, university system chancellor.

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Students will be watching to see what a House appropriations subcommittee does Tuesday when it works on the budget, said Josh Michael, governmental affairs director for the student government at University of Maryland Baltimore County.

If delegates cut any more, it will fall to Maryland’s families to shoulder the burden of these tough economic times, he said.

“Institutions have worked tirelessly to cut the fat, and at some point you lose quality, and I think we’re at that point,” he said.

“I’m optimistic that the House will recognize the importance of funding higher education. But a tuition freeze might not be realistic.”

If a tuition increase has to happen next school year, Isaac Meyer, legislative affairs director for Towson University’s student government, hopes it falls within the rate of inflation, between 3 percent and 4 percent.

Of the university system’s $3.5 billion budget, about $1.2 billion comes from the state.

Tuition jumped 40 percent since 2000, making Maryland’s tuition and fees the sixth-highest in the nation, according to a 2005 College Board report.

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com