Cost of Going to College Jumps 28% in Two Years; Most Non-White Students Live at Home

Cost of Going to College Jumps 28% in Two Years; Most Non-White Students Live at Home


Going to college is costing considerably more than just two years ago, forcing the majority of minority students to live at home. A new survey produced by Sallie Mae found the average cost of attending a university or college in 2009-2010 was $18,659, a 17% jump from the year before and a 28% increase from the reported cost of $14,628 in 2007-08.

Even community colleges have become significantly more expensive, with the average cost rising by 26% from one year to the next.

To save money, a reported 43% of students lived at home last year. That figure increased to 57% for families with annual incomes of less than $35,000. The rate was highest for Hispanic (64%) and African American (58%) students. Thirty-six percent of white students said they lived with their parents while seeking higher education.

http://www.allgov.com/Where_is_the_Money_Going/ViewNews/Cost_of_Going_to_College_Jumps_28_Percent_in_Two_Years__Most_Non_White_Students_Live_at_Home_100812

really, is there ANY acceptable justification for that? At all?

I would imagine that the increases are led by state supported colleges and universities.

If you move to GA, and pay for the first year of tuition you can earn the Hope Scholarship if you earn a 3.0 college GPA.

You even get $300 for books each semester.


** Obligatory plug for Georgia and the Hope scholarship.

Lottery revenues have not kept up with the demands on the program. I do hope that the Hope scholarship stays in place and works through these difficulties. I view it as a wonderful egalitarian program that avoids the bickering and issues associated with student assistance in our state. I wish we had a program like it. You have to be a superstar to get any sort of merit money in our state. Our state has some of the highest loan amounts for graduating seniors (nearly $30K coming out). We had a President of our land grant college say we should increase tuition by $2K/yr to give more need based aid to those in need (as if those in the middle class can easily reach into their pocket and pull out $15K/yr. times the number of kids going to college).

The upside of our state is that it is much easier to get into one of our flagship universities than it is to get into Georgia Tech. Man to have tuition paid to go to that school - now that is something. This is coming from a Purdue grad (another school which is difficult for an in state resident to get in - I benefitted from being one of the few Mississippi graduates to apply for Engineering - never would have got in if I was a Indiana resident.


Ga. faces $550M shortfall for lottery programs
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9HC0KQG0.htm

The pain is already being felt by students.

This year, the lottery-funded HOPE scholarship program is dipping into its reserves for the first time in nearly a decade because it is $100 million over budget. HOPE pays for public college tuition for Georgia high school graduates with a B average. That means reducing textbook stipends for 200,000 college students on the HOPE scholarship starting in 2012, the first step in a series of "triggers" set up by state law.

I haven't bought a lottery ticket in months. I should go play the numbers tomorrow.

(K&R)