College Costs Soar Over Past Twenty Years

  The US Education Department’s Digest of Education Statistics reports that between 1976-77 and 2007-08 average undergraduate tuition, fees, room and board increased from $7,914 to $15,665 after adjusting for inflation. Federal financial aid did not come close to matching these cost increases over that period. Obama’s increases in Pell grants will help, but I suspect more students will opt for less expensive community colleges in the coming decade.