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Since the year 2000, the average cost of tuition at a public college has increased
42%,[1] while median household income has fallen 2%.
The dream of a college education is being priced out of reach for more and more American students and their families. Tuition is rising while wages are flat or sinking. Conservatives in Congress have responded by cutting $12 billion from federal student loan programs and raising loan interest rates for student and their parents. Conservatives in state governments have cut back funding for colleges, passing more costs to families in the form of increased tuitions and fees. See the reports below for detailed impacts.

Since the year 2000, the average cost of tuition at a public college has increased
42%,[1] while median household income has fallen 2%.[2]
The dream of a college education is being priced out of reach for more and more American students and their families. Tuition is rising while wages are flat or sinking. Conservatives in Congress have responded by cutting $12 billion from federal student loan programs and raising loan interest rates for student and their parents. Conservatives in state governments have cut back funding for colleges, passing more costs to families in the form of increased tuitions and fees. See the reports below for detailed impacts.
[1] U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information
Survey (HEGIS). Average Undergraduate Tuition and Fees and Room and Board Rated Charged for Full-Time
Students in Degree-Granting Institutions, by Type and Control of Institution: 1964-65 through 2004-2005.
[2] US Census Bureau, Table H-8. Median Household Income by State: 1984 to 2005.