From the issue dated October 15, 1999

Average Tuition and Fees at Colleges Rose Less Than 5% This Year But the increases are still well above the rate of inflation By LEO REISBERG Washington College tuition and fees rose this year by an average of 3.4 per cent at four-year public institutions and 4.7 per cent at four-year private institutions, the College Board reported last week. ALSO SEE: Tuition and Fees, 1999-2000 Pick a state: ----- Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming These figures were collected as part of "The Annual Survey of Colleges of the College Board, 1999-2000." Chart: Average College Costs, 1999-2000 Chart: Estimated Student Aid by Source, 1998-99 Those rates of increase are the lowest in at least 12 years. But the tuition increases still outpaced the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index. The C.P.I. rose 2.3 per cent for the 12 months ending in August. The College Board also reported that a record $64-billion was available in financial aid last year, helping to offset the rising cost of higher education. But much of the aid -- 58 per cent -- was in the form of student loans, compared with just over 40 per cent in 1980-81. The slowing rate of tuition hikes is "encouraging," said Gaston Caperton, the president of the College Board, at a news conference here last week. But many families still overestimate college prices and underestimate the amount of available aid, leading them to believe that a college degree is beyond their reach, he said. "The cost of not going to college is much higher than the cost of going to college," Mr. Caperton said. "Students with a college education make twice as much as those with a high-school education, and statistics show that students who go to college enjoy their jobs more, and are employed more quickly." Mr. Caperton and college officials who attended the news conference said that the cost of attending college grew faster than the C.P.I. because salary increases for faculty members and the costs of improving computer access and student amenities on campuses have also outpaced inflation. Average undergraduate sticker prices this year, based on an annual survey of about 2,800 colleges: $15,380 at four-year private institutions, an increase of $671, or 4.6 per cent, over last year. The increase a year ago was 5.2 per cent. $3,356 at four-year public institutions, an increase of $109, or 3.4 per cent. Last year's increase was 4.2 per cent. $7,182 at two-year private institutions, an increase of $242, or 3.5 per cent. The increase in 1998-99 was 3.6 per cent. $1,627 at two-year public institutions, an increase of $73, or 4.7 per cent. Last year's increase was 4.2 per cent. Students who attend public colleges outside of the state or district in which they live are paying an average of $4,818 for two-year institutions, and $8,706 for four-year institutions, a slight increase over last year's costs ($4,729 for two-year institutions and $8,471 for four-year institutions). Average room and board costs are up 3.6 per cent at four-year private colleges, 4.6 per cent at four-year public colleges, and 4.8 per cent at two-year private colleges. The number of students living in on-campus housing at two-year public colleges was too small to provide meaningful data, the tuition study says. Stanley O. Ikenberry, president of the American Council on Education, offered several reasons for the temperate tuition increases. "State budgets are stronger, and fewer costs are being shifted to students. Endowment earnings are better. Federal student aid has increased. And colleges and universities themselves are showing results in containing costs." Others say that while colleges deserve credit for trying to keep costs down, the tuition increases still hurt students. "Students are turning toward more loans, credit cards, and having to work more hours to pay for college," said Jamie Pueschel, legislative director for the United States Students Association. "A $600 increase in tuition will turn into an $800 increase when students have to pay off the loan." More aid from the government would help, officials said. David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, said that while student aid provided by private colleges increased by 101 per cent, when adjusted for inflation, between 1988-89 and 1998-99, federal support for campus-based student-aid programs fell by 6.3 per cent during the same period. He urged the federal government to allocate an additional $1.5-billion this year to rejuvenate those programs. The financial-aid study shows that recent increases in appropriations for Pell Grants, which are offered to students from low-income families, have helped to maintain a balance between student loans and government-subsidized grants. But the purchasing power of Pell Grants has fallen sharply since the 1970s. A Pell Grant covers only one-third of the average cost of attending a public four-year college and one-seventh of the cost of a private four-year college, according to the study. "We must continue to support restoring the purchasing power of the Pell Grant," Mr. Caperton said. Copies of both reports, "Trends in College Pricing" and "Trends in Student Aid," are available for $16 each, including postage and handling, from College Board Publications, Box 886, New York 10101-0886, or by calling (800) 323-7155. The reports are also available on the College Board's World-Wide Web site (http://www.collegeboard.org). AVERAGE COLLEGE COSTS, 1999-2000   Public colleges Private colleges   Resident Commuter Resident Commuter 4-YEAR COLLEGES Tuition and fees $3,356 $3,356 $15,380 $15,380 Books and supplies $681 $681 $700 $700 Room and board* $4,730 $2,213 $5,959 $2,324 Transportation $658 $1,005 $558 $907 Other $1,484 $1,519 $1,054 $1,189 Total $10,909 $8,774 $23,651 $20,500 2-YEAR COLLEGES Tuition and fees $1,627 $1,627 $7,182 $7,182 Books and supplies $645 $645 $681 $681 Room and board* -- $2,128 $4,583 $2,029 Transportation -- $997 $686 $932 Other -- $1,202 $1,132 $1,132 Total -- $6,599 $14,264 $11,956 SOURCE: THE COLLEGE BOARD Note: The figures are weighted by enrollment to reflect the charges incurred by the average undergraduate enrolled at each type of institution. * Room not included for commuter students -- Insufficient data ESTIMATED STUDENT AID BY SOURCE, 1998-99   Amount in billions Share of total Federal loans $33.7 52.5% Federal Pell Grants $7.2 11.3% Federal campus-based programs $2.7 4.2% Other federal programs $2.4 3.7% State grant programs $3.5 5.5% Institutional and other grants $12.2 19.0% Non-federal loans $2.4 3.8% Total $64.1 100% SOURCE: THE COLLEGE BOARD http://chronicle.com Section: Students Page: A52 Easy-to-print version E-mail this article