Average cost of books per semester: $500. Average cost of miscellaneous personal expenses: $700. The cost of your yearly college tuition: Infinitely escalating.
During the course of the last year, tuition costs at American colleges have increased by 10.5 percent at public institutions; 6 percent at private institutions; and 8.7 percent at community colleges. The growing costs of tuition is making it difficult for the average American student to complete his or her higher education, as expenses heighten while resources such as grants and other scholarships lag.
In 1976, the Pell Grant, a need-based grant for undergraduate students, accounted for 84 percent of a student's tuition. Today, the Pell Grant covers less than 40 percent of the average student's college expenses. States use higher education funds for merit-based aid programs rather than need-based programs. However, merit-based aid disproportionately assists higher income students who would pursue higher education whether or not they received merit scholarships. Over the last 20 years, state granted aid in merit programs doubled; now, this aid accounts for more than 25 percent of the total grant aid provided.
"I receive the Pell grant and I just can't imagine how much more I will have to borrow to attend College if they get rid of it," says Maritza Barajas, a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
