Today's Washington Post highlights a new study by the College Board on college pricing and student aid. It notes that:
As Chairman Miller said, “Although paying for college remains far too expensive a burden for families, especially in this economy, this report shows that our work to help make college more affordable is paying off.”
The House recently passed legislation that would make a landmark $40 billion investment to boost the Pell Grant over the next 10 years, to stabilize access to low-cost federal student loans, to strengthen Perkins loans, and do much more to make college more accessible at no cost to taxpayers. This report confirms that these types of investments, coupled with our ongoing efforts to reduce students’ dependence on costlier private loans, are needed to provide relief to families in a difficult economy.
Colleges and universities have not slashed sticker prices in response to the economic downturn. On the contrary, tuition and fees rose 6.5 percent at public four-year colleges compared with the 2008-2009 school year and 4.4 percent at private, nonprofit, four-year institutions. Those were steeper rates of increase than in prior years, after adjusting for inflation. Over the past decade, annual increases have averaged 4.9 percent at public colleges and 2.6 percent at private colleges.It is clear that students and families are increasingly relying on Pell Grant scholarships and other forms of federal student aid to help pay for college. While college tuition prices continued to increase at rates consistent with years past, students had greater access to reliable low-cost federal loans and grant aid. The report also shows that private student loan borrowing decreased by 50 percent from one year earlier, in part due to the freezing of the credit markets.
As Chairman Miller said, “Although paying for college remains far too expensive a burden for families, especially in this economy, this report shows that our work to help make college more affordable is paying off.”
The House recently passed legislation that would make a landmark $40 billion investment to boost the Pell Grant over the next 10 years, to stabilize access to low-cost federal student loans, to strengthen Perkins loans, and do much more to make college more accessible at no cost to taxpayers. This report confirms that these types of investments, coupled with our ongoing efforts to reduce students’ dependence on costlier private loans, are needed to provide relief to families in a difficult economy.