The Commission urges colleges to work hard to maintain costs. Institutions are also urged to educate parents and students about the costs and the price of higher education. The Commission emphasizes that one major component of such an educational effort is defining the terms used in the discussion of this issue. The average amount spent annually to provide education and related services to each full-time equivalent student. Price What students and their families are charged and what they pay.
Sticker price is the tuition and fees that institutions charge.
Net price is what students pay after financial aid is subtracted from the total price of attendance. It is not clear what will emerge from the report within the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Both the House and Senate bills require colleges and universities to report new information on costs, prices, and student aid, but they differ substantially in what they mandate. When the House and Senate meet in conference this September, they will work out the difference between the two bills. In all likelihood, the compromise they reach will look very different from what's in either piece of legislation.