Tuition Soars at Public Colleges; Costs Up 13% for the Year, 47% for the Decade, Study Says
Tuition costs at public colleges rose more rapidly last year than at any time over the past three decades, according to a report released yesterday. After adjusting for inflation, costs were up 13 percent for the year and 47 percent for the past decade.</br></br>The annual report by the College Board, which collects data from more than 4,000 institutions, said tuition and fees also rose substantially last year at private colleges and universities, but at a slower rate than in the public sector. If room and board costs are included, the average student now pays $26,854 a year to attend a private university, and $10,636 to attend a public university in his or her own state.</br></br>"College tuition and fees are getting out of control, and we need to do something about it," said Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R- Calif.) who has proposed legislation that would penalize institutions that "repeatedly engage in exorbitant tuition hikes."</br></br>According to the College Board, the 13 percent real increase in tuition at public colleges last year was "the highest in at least three decades." It followed an inflation-adjusted increase of 8 percent the previous year, "a growth rate that had not been seen for 20 years."</br></br>The College Board survey suggests that the rise of tuition costs has been particularly rapid in mid-Atlantic and midwestern states, as universities scramble to plug deficits caused by declining state appropriations. The University of Maryland increased its prices by 21 percent last year and has proposed an 11 percent increase for next year. Costs at the University of Virginia are nearly 30 percent higher than they were last fall.