US: Tuition is up, as is uncertainty

Both tuition and financial aid are up for the current academic year, even as the economic uncertainty leaves many colleges and students with worries about next year's charges, reports Inside Higher Ed. The average tuition for a private four-year college topped $25,000 for the first time in 2008-9, hitting $25,143, or 5.9% more than last year's total, according to the latest annual report by the College Board.

At public, four-year colleges, tuition rates for in-state residents were up 6.4%, reaching $6,585. College Board officials noted that with inflation for the year running at 5.6%, these increases were only modestly above the inflation rate. In some recent years, when the tuition increase averages have further exceeded the inflation rate, politicians and others have questioned why costs were going up so rapidly.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site