As part of his litany of George Bush woes, John Kerry cites rising college costs. It’s up dramatically since Bush took office, he says, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out. Kerry cites only the “sticker price” of tuition and fees, however. He’s ignoring that the net price — that’s the sticker price discounted by grant aids and tax benefits — is actually lower now than it was ten years ago.
Tuition increases at the 16 campuses in the University of North Carolina have upset students and parents. A Pope Center look at the issue found that the average increase this year for in-state students in tuition and fees at a UNC school was greater than the average increase nationally. Nevertheless, tuition and fees at UNC schools are still lower than the regional and U.S. averages.