Private institutions have made clear progress in streamlining their budgets over the past decade. And families should be assured that private colleges and universities will continue to work diligently to hold their costs down while still providing an academic experience that is the envy of the world. Refocused strategic planning over the past decade has led institutions to better control expenses, restructure administration, and enhance affordability. At the same time, campuses have continued to bolster their own student aid programs, helping to substantially ease the effect of price increases on student and family pocketbooks. At the same time, policymakers in Washington must recommit themselves to the programs that have helped make college a dream come true for millions of Americans.
Tuition is just one part of the financing structure.
We urge policymakers to fund Pell Grants at the increased level authorized by the 1998 Higher Education Act, to maintain and build funding for the campus-based student aid programs, and to help institutions reduce their administrative costs by streamlining the thousands of federal regulations that they face.