Report: College Tuition Pinches Poor Families

Students from low-income families are finding it harder to pay for college as a result of changes in federal student-aid policies and slow growth in federal Pell Grant funding, the College Board said last week in its annual reports on college prices and financial aid.

The report on college pricing found that four-year public institutions managed to slow tuition increases from 10 percent last year to 7 percent for the 2005-06 academic year, with the average tuition and fees increasing from $5,126 in 2004-05 to $5,491 in 2005-06. Tuition at four-year private colleges rose by 6 percent in 2005-06, the same increase as last year, with average tuition and fees increasing from $20,045 to $21,235.

The reports from the New York City-based College Board prompted calls from higher education leaders for Congress to keep federal student aid in line with inflation. Their release Oct. 18 came a day after a federal commission that will examine higher education issues held its...