Paying for college looms over families, especially at-risk families who may have had little or no experience with college. They see tuitions rising faster than inflation and family income. And they are worried about whether college will be affordable for them.
People generally see college prices as just too high.
Postsecondary opportunities are wide and varied in this country. More than 7,000 institutions exist, ranging from local community colleges to vocational training institutions to four-year public and private colleges to major research universities. Increasingly, distance-learning opportunities are available at traditional institutions as well as newly created virtual institutions. This net price actually paid by students and families is often significantly below the sticker price. Due to significant increases in aid under the Clinton-Gore Administration, net price has risen more slowly than sticker price in recent years.