College for all? Experts say not necessarily (AP)

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- In a town dominated by the University of Missouri's flagship campus and two smaller colleges, higher education is practically a birthright for high school seniors like Kate Hodges....

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- In a town dominated by the University of Missouri's flagship campus and two smaller colleges, higher education is practically a birthright for high school seniors like Kate Hodges....

In a town dominated by the University of Missouri's flagship campus and two smaller colleges, higher education is practically a birthright for high school seniors like Kate Hodges.

Financing a college education is something that parents of both toddlers and high school seniors have to be concerned about. With the sticker price of the nation’s top private universities now topping $200,000 for four years, financial aid has become a critical component in making higher education a possibility for most families. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aka FAFSA, the document that colleges around the country use to determine the amount of financial aid to award to students, was released on January 1.

Financing a college education is something that parents of both toddlers and high school seniors have to be concerned about. With the sticker price of the nation’s top private universities now topping $200,000 for four years, financial aid has become a critical component in making higher education a possibility for most families. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aka FAFSA, the document that colleges around the country use to determine the amount of financial aid to award to students, was released on January 1.

President Barack Obama called for linking financial aid to college affordability when he addressed Congress last month, but even as costs keep rising, some experts say not to expect crucial changes this year.   Reforming how financial aid is distributed – with incentives to keep tuition down – probably won’t come until after Congress tackles equally thorny changes in primary and secondary school education, known as K-12 in the U.S.  

Lydia DePillis summarizes ANC2E’s demands on Georgetown University:

Wellesley College (cc photo by thelehegarets)