News Article Paints False Picture of Tuition Burden, Student-Aid Advocates Say

A front-page article in USA Today about college costs, invoked by President Bush's re-election campaign to criticize Sen. John Kerry's higher-education agenda, is causing a stir among some student-aid advocates.

The June 28 story, "Tuition burden falls by a third," analyzed what students paid in tuition and fees after taking into account financial aid, tuition discounting, and federal tax credits. It found that a $22-billion annual increase in grants and tax breaks since 1998 has meant

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