Still, average tuition increases probably will be larger next year, Pals said. "But whether they will be significantly higher is too early to predict," he added.
According to the College Board report, students at California's community colleges and Cal State campuses are getting a good deal compared with students in other states. This year, annual tuition and fees at public two-year colleges nationwide averaged $2,402, compared with $634 at California community colleges.
Excluding room and board, tuition and fees at four-year public schools averaged $6,585 , compared with $3,800 at Cal State campuses. Annual UC fees are more than $8,000, not including living costs, but UC says its fees are similar to those of other highly ranked, research-oriented public universities.
However, with the state budget billions of dollars in the red, officials of California's public universities are girding themselves for possible fee hikes next year, although they say it is too soon to speak of specifics before next month's meetings of Cal State trustees and UC regents.
Many other state campuses face similar situations, according to the National Assn. of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. Since state budgets and tax revenues are down, "universities will be pressed to increase tuition," said Peter McPherson, the association's president.
Full-time students at public four-year institutions received grants and tax benefits averaging $3,700, and full-timers at private four-year schools received grants and rebates averaging $10,200, the College Board report said.
American undergraduates received an average of $8,896 in financial aid this year, including $4,656 in grants and $3,650 in federal loans.
The debt level worries educators and families. About 60% of all students who graduated in 2007 had some school loans to pay off, and the average total debt was $18,800 at public colleges and $23,800 at private schools. That average debt was 18% higher than it was six years ago, the study found.
Turmoil in the banking industry and the increased amounts of money that students can now borrow in federally guaranteed loans are discouraging students from taking out private loans, College Board officials said. Private-loan volume fell slightly between the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years, while federal-loan volume rose about 6% after inflation, the officials said. The study did not include the most current figures, although experts said they expected to see that trend grow stronger.
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larry.gordon@latimes.com
