69ý

College & Workforce Readiness

Aid Not Keeping Pace With Rising Tuition, Report Says

By Sean Cavanagh — June 09, 2004 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

Increases in grant aid did not keep pace with the rising cost of education for students at two- and four-year colleges during the 1990s, leaving those undergraduates with a larger financial burden, a federal report shows.

is available from the . (Requires .)

A study released last week by the National Center for Education Statistics says the average net price at public two-year colleges—after accounting for state, federal and institutional grants—rose by 15 percent, from $6,700 a year to $7,500, from 1990 to 2000. Average annual costs of public four-year schools climbed by 18 percent, from $8,900 to $10,500 over that time period, according to the report, “Paying for College.” Those figures include tuition, fees, and room and board.

For some categories of undergraduates, however, such as those from low-income families who attended public two-year colleges, the net price increase after grants was small enough to be statistically insignificant, the report concludes.

When both grants and loans to students were taken into account, the effect on undergraduates was more mixed, the study shows. At public two-year colleges in 2000, the net price after grants and loans was $7,000, compared with $6,500 in 1990. For students at public four-year schools, the net price remained at $8,000 per year from 1990 to 2000. All figures were adjusted for inflation.

More Borrowing

While the relative stability of college costs after grants and loans are taken into account might seem encouraging, Susan P. Choy, the report’s author, cautioned that students’ ability to pay off debts varied greatly. Borrowers’ burdens were influenced by such diverse factors as interest rates and their ability to find good-paying jobs after graduation.

“Borrowing allows some people to afford college, but there’s always the danger that it will be difficult for them to pay [loans] back,” Ms. Choy said. Loans, considered independently of other factors, “are neither good nor bad,” she added.

Ms. Choy is the vice president of MPR Associates, a research firm based in Washington and Berkeley, Calif., that conducted the study. The higher education analysis was included as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s release of its annual “Condition of Education” report, which studies trends in schools and colleges.

The Condition of Education study also included a second report on college costs that found 65 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients borrowed to pay for college in the 1999-2000 academic year, compared with 49 percent in 1992-93. The average amount borrowed over that time increased from $12,300 to $19,300.

But the median “debt burden"—how much borrowers have to pay, after accounting for monthly debts and income—remained roughly the same in both academic years, the report found. Those estimates, Ms. Choy noted, include only bachelor’s-degree recipients, not those who had quit early or received associate’s degrees.

A version of this article appeared in the June 09, 2004 edition of Education Week as Aid Not Keeping Pace With Rising Tuition, Report Says

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

College & Workforce Readiness The Way 69ý Offer CTE Classes Is About to Change. Here's How
The revision could lead to significant shifts in the types of jobs schools highlight, and the courses students are able to take.
4 min read
Photo of student working with surveying equipment.
E+
College & Workforce Readiness Even in Academic Classes, 69ý Focus on Building 69ý' Workforce Skills
69ý work on meeting academic standards. What happens when they focus on different sets of skills?
11 min read
69ý participate in reflections after a day of learning in Julia Kromenacker’s 3rd grade classroom at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky. on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
69ý participate in reflections after a day of learning in Julia Kromenacker’s 3rd grade classroom at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky., on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. The Bullitt County district that includes Old Mill Elementary has incorporated a focus on building more general life skills, like collaboration, problem-solving, and communication, that community members and employers consistently say they want from students coming out of high school.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Preparing for the Workforce Can Start as Early as 1st Grade. What It Looks Like
Preparing students for college and career success starts well before high school—and it doesn’t only involve occupation-specific training.
5 min read
Jenna Bray, a 1st grade teacher at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky., helps her student Lucas Joiner on an online learning assignment on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Jenna Bray, a 1st grade teacher at Old Mill Elementary School in Mt. Washington, Ky., helps student Lucas Joiner on an online learning assignment on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. The Bullitt County district, which includes Old Mill Elementary, has incorporated a focus on equipping students with more general life skills—like communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving—that employers and community members consistently say they want from students coming out of high school.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says How Well Do Dual-Credit 69ý Do in College? A Look in Charts
New data show some students get more access—and more leverage—from taking postsecondary classes in high school.
3 min read
Illustration of students
Muhamad Chabib alwi/iStock/Getty