Madison Marino, senior research associate with The Heritage Foundation, is not surprised by the prediction that college tuition could cost up to $95,000 this fall for students in some cases.
"There was a report from Heritage back in 2010 that said since 1982, the cost of attending college has increased by 439% -- more than four times the rate of inflation," she references. "So, it's something we've been seeing for a while."
In terms of why the cost of college is increasing, Marino says it probably has a lot to do with the loads of federal money that is being handed out to students regardless of their ability to pay it back. The Grad PLUS Loan program is an example of this.
"It basically lets graduate students borrow up to the full cost of attendance after college," the researcher summarizes.
There is also the Parent PLUS loan program.
Because of these types of programs, colleges can keep raising tuition if they know that parents or students are able to take out loans up to the cost of whatever they are charging.
"We've recommended eliminating programs such as Grad PLUS or Parent PLUS, or putting caps on how much students can borrow," Marino tells AFN. "That way, we save taxpayers substantial amounts of money, and then we also rein in colleges and their efforts to raise tuition."
Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert, told the Associated Press he believes college remains a good investment for students who borrow in moderation and complete their studies.
