Tuition Continues to Outpace Inflation, Rising 4.4% at Public 4-Year Colleges
WASHINGTON -- College tuition is still rising faster than inflation, increasing 4.4% at public four-year colleges and 5.2% at private four-year schools.</br></br>Average tuition at public schools in the 2000-2001 academic year was $3,510, while at private schools the tab was $16,332, the College Board said in its annual report on college pricing.</br></br>College Board President Gaston Caperton called the increases "modest," and said inadequate academic preparation is a greater barrier to college admission than cost. But the tuition increases outpaced both the 3.5% annualized increase in the consumer price index for the first eight months of this year, and year-earlier price increases.</br></br>The College Board said student aid rose 4% to $68 billion, but the aid data lag behind the college-cost survey by a year.</br></br>Room-and-board costs increased by an average 5.1% to $4,960 at public colleges and by 4.2% to $6,209 at private schools. Mr. Caperton attributed the increases in both tuition and housing to students "demanding more," including a lower student-teacher ratio, better housing and increased technology spending.