Just when you thought the emotional rollercoaster was about to return to the station you realize there is one last big hump to overcome: Sticker Shock. Perhaps you have spent the last four years taking the right classes, participating in a vareity of activities, doing community service and so forth in order to have your pick of college admissions offers. After you have spent hours working hard to fill out applications, collect recommendations, tour multiple schools and wait around for a counselor to render a decision you finally get your financial aid package and what a surprise that can be!
It is no secret that college cost are on the rise and that it can be a real challenge to make college affordable. Even still it is not uncommon to underestimate the bottom line. Even students and families who are looking to typically cheaper public state schools instead of a private school still might be shocked by the cost of tuition, board and fees. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education reported that “the nation’s colleges and universities have become less affordable for students and their families since the earl 1990s.” That is a staggering statistic when you consider that “the cost of attending college has risen nrearly three times the rate of the cost of living.”
Unfortunately it does not seem that there is any relief on the horizon. In times of budget crisis, states and other lenders typically tighten the purse strings, leaving schools and studetns to make up the difference.
To learn more about the increasing cost of college tuition check out these links.
US News and World Report
CNN
For information on how to help pay for the rising cost of college:
Students
Parents
