About half believe that distance education will cost less than on-campus education. If the public misses the actual cost by such a high margin, it may cause families to eliminate certain four-year public colleges and private colleges overall from consideration even before they learn about financial aid. If families have an unrealistically high estimate of the cost of college at the outset, they are less likely to see how financial aid can make a difference. On a more positive note, survey respondents answers to questions concerning funding a college education demonstrates a better understanding about the financial aid system than tuition costs. People believe they know how to get information on financial aid.
People know that such aid is available from both colleges and the federal government.
People are confident about the amount of aid provided by both the federal government and colleges and universities. While most Americans did believe that investing in a college education was worth the money, they did not believe that college was affordable and did not know where to find reliable information about financial aid.