Are you feeling frustrated by the rising cost of heading back to college? The unfortunate reality is that the cost of tuition and other college fees has risen by about 6% over the past year, while inflation has gone up by only about half that amount. Therefore, it certainly makes sense to wonder why there is such a discrepancy. According to a recent blog on USNews.com, there are a number of reasons for these rising college expenses. While we may not agree with all of these reasons, it is still interesting to see how colleges are able to justify this frustrating phenomenon.

The blog post was actually written by Judy Genshaft, who was a guest blogger for the site and is current serving as the president of the University of South Florida as well as the chair of the board of the American Council on Education. According to her, there are seven primary reasons for the growing costs of going to college. These include:

· State Appropriations – states have been slowly reducing their spending on education over the last 20 years and many states actually set the tuition levels. As a result, a 1% decrease in state appropriations can easily result in a 3-5% increase in college tuition.
· Labor Expenses – approximately 60-70% of a school’s budget is spent on personnel. These costs continue to rise as colleges and universities are forced to offer more attractive salaries and benefits in order to attract the best faculty possible.
· Operating Expenses – in order to attract students, colleges and universities need to offer a variety of services that can become quite costly. Campus security, counseling, academic support and health services are all services students expect to see, but that result in added expenses for the school.
· Rapidly Changing Technology and Knowledge – technology continues to grow at a rapid pace and our knowledge within certain fields continues to grow as well. Keeping labs, libraries and other scientific resources up-to-date is a costly endeavor.
· Government Regulations – government regulations at the local, state and federal levels continue to change, resulting in additional costs and often the need to hire additional personnel.
· Economic Changes – changes in the economy also have an impact on college costs. When energy costs rise, colleges and universities have to find a way to pay these extra costs. At the same time, when the economy struggles, charitable contributions and endowments decline.
Genshaft also noted that, although costs may be on the rise, the posted tuition cost isn’t what most students actually pay. Thanks to grants and other forms of financial aid, most pay only a fraction of the actual tuition cost. The College Board, for example, reports that more than $143 billion worth of financial aid is available to students and that approximately two-thirds of students receive some form of aid. Last school year, students attending public two-year colleges received an estimated $2,300 each in financial aid, while those attending public four-year colleges received $3,700 and those attending private four-year colleges received $10,200.

The good news is that, although college costs continue to rise, there is an affordable option out there for just about anyone. Whether you are looking for an online university or a ground college, you should be able to find one to suit your needs and your budget. To learn more about available colleges and universities that offer programs in a variety of in-demand fields, visit the Top-Colleges home page today!