WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University and other public colleges in Indiana are waiting until lawmakers approve a new state budget before they set next year’s tuition rates.

The wait can be frustrating for families trying to determine what college is best for them.

“Not knowing until later could make a difference for a lot of families right now who are dealing with the problems of the economy,” said Jill Palmer, who visited Purdue recently with her son.Purdue plans to announce its 2009-2010 tuition in May — weeks after the deadline for students to accept admission offers.Palmer’s son, high school senior John Doherty, visited Purdue from Washington, D.C. He’s trying to narrow his college choices and has already landed a scholarship with the Purdue College of Engineering.“He has a scholarship, but even that could be affected by how much tuition goes up,” Palmer said. “It would be nice to know now if the cost could be another $1,000 in two years.”Purdue and other schools in Indiana are delaying tuition decisions until the General Assembly approves a new state budget. The legislative session is scheduled to end April 29.On May 8, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education is expected to give the state budget committee recommendations for tuition rates at each state university. The recommendation will be the first by the commission and will be nonbinding, said Bernard Hannon, associate commissioner for facilities and financial affairs.The commission is looking at whether colleges have enough resources to perform well while keeping college accessible.“We have to find some type of balancing in between that and make sure we haven’t priced people out of college,” Hannon said.For now, Purdue is telling potential students that tuition is expected to be about $8,000 for in-state residents and $24,000 for nonresidents. That’s about a 4 percent increase over the current school year.“We think it is really important to be very transparent about that,” said Pamela Horne, dean of admissions. “We are always clear about what the estimates would be.”If the tuition increase is more than estimated, students’ financial aid could be adjusted, she said.Purdue senior Dana Slater, a liberal arts major, said a tuition increase would be a drop in the bucket for students paying for their education with loans.“What else are you going to do? You aren’t going to drop out,” Slater said. “With everything going on in the economy, I expect an increase in tuition. I won’t be happy about it, but they have to.”