Rise in college tuition, fees slows nationally; borrowing down, College Board report says

The average cost of tuition and fees at universities and colleges in the United States is rising more slowly than in recent years, as student borrowing is down and schools are providing more financial aid, according to a College Board report released Thursday.

Private, nonprofit, four-year institutions had the highest increase -- 3.7 percent -- between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years, the nonprofit organization's annual price-trend report shows.

Tuition at public, four-year colleges and universities rose 2.9 percent for in-state residents and 3.3 percent for out-of-state students over the same period, while in-district tuition at public, two-year colleges rose 3.3 percent.

"It is very good news that prices are not accelerating as rapidly," said Sandy Baum, the report's co-author. "But we should take that good news with a grain of salt."

At Long Island's universities and colleges, the average tuition and fees rose higher than the national averages in all categories. The average at private, nonprofit institutions rose 5.4 percent over the previous year, while the average for in-state students at public, four-year colleges went up 5.3 percent and in-county tuition at public, two-year colleges rose 4.25 percent.

The competition among institutions on the Island for students is helping to rein in tuition increases, but rising operational costs are a big issue, said Hubert Keen, chairman of the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education, or LIRACHE, a consortium of 18 colleges in Suffolk, Nassau and Queens counties.

"Whether it [college costs] ever reaches a plateau is doubtful," said Keen, who is president of Farmingdale State University.

Increases in so-called "sticker price" -- published tuition and fees before financial aid, scholarships and grants are taken into account -- continue to outpace the rate of inflation, said Baum, a research professor of education policy at The George Washington University and a senior fellow at the nonprofit Urban Institute, both in the nation's capital.

At LIU Post, where tuition and mandatory fees rose 2.3 percent from the previous academic year, the administration has promised students a 2 percent tuition cap until 2020, said Jackie Nealon, vice president for enrollment.

"What we needed to do here is become more efficient and utilize our financial aid in more meaningful ways," said Nealon, who is part of the college's new team of administrators.

Nationally, total annual education borrowing fell by an estimated 8 percent between 2012-13 and 2013-14, following declines of 4 percent and 2 percent in the two preceding years, leading to a three-year decline of 13 percent, according to the report.

Baum said the data show more students accessed federal loan programs, and private colleges gave more discounts on the published tuition price to students in the last year. The report did not include the 2014-15 net cost of college.

Incomes are not rising for most Americans, however, making the endeavor of paying for college stressful for families, Baum said.

Older students who were more likely to take out loans may not be returning to school, she said, contributing to the decline in borrowing and a dip in enrollments at institutions nationally.

The Manhattan-based College Board sponsors the widely used SAT college admissions test and other student assessments.

Fern Gold of Personal College Consultants, based in Suffolk County, said parents find the sticker prices daunting.

"I think parents have heard rumors about how expensive college is, but many of them are still shocked when they visit the schools and go on tours," Gold said.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.