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  • May 19, 2008 11:08 pm US/Central
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Minn. Students Paying More For Higher Education

By Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santaniello

(WCCO) No matter where you go, costs are up at Minnesota's colleges and universities. In the past 10 years, tuition and fees at the University of Minnesota have more than doubled.

"How am I paying? With loans," laughed University of Minnesota freshman Rob Leeson.

Another U of M student, Krystal Bradford, said, "I'll probably be paying tuition when I'm 40."

Sophomore Michelle Joseph thinks school shouldn't cost so much.

"A lot of institutions offer a good education," she said. "And I don't think that it should drive people into debt."

Now, debt is becoming reality for more and more students. This year, tuition and fees at the U of M topped $10,000 for the first time.

"That explains my debt," said senior Lauren Huus, who estimates she's borrowed between $50,000 and $60,000.

No matter where you go, costs are up. Tuition and fees at Hennepin Technical College were almost $4,200 this year. Century College costs $4,400. The price at Minnesota State-Mankato tops $6,000. And that's what Minnesota students pay.

Private schools are even higher. The University of St. Thomas charges more than $24,000. At Macalester, tuition and fees surpass $33,000.

Susan Heegaard heads the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. Her office published a report called Minnesota Measures earlier this year, which looked at the cost of college.

"On average, Minnesota's higher than the nation," said Heegaard. "We're actually though right in the middle of the pack when you look at our peer states like Wisconsin and Michigan, etcetera. So while we're high nationally, we rank just about in the middle of our peers."

Indeed, Minnesota is expensive compared to the rest of the country. The study compared net tuition and fees, which is what students pay when grants and scholarships are subtracted. The difference is sizable. The national average for freshman year at a public four-year college is $2,440. In Minnesota, it's $4,720.

There's an even greater gap for public two-year colleges. The national average is $1,040. The Minnesota price is more than double that at $2,620.

Does that mean Minnesota schools are twice as good as others around the country?

"To say whether it's exactly double, I can't answer that question," Heegaard said. "But I think we have a good quality of education here in the state."

Why such high prices? According to Heegaard, one reason is that Minnesota is a pricey place to live.

"To attract good people, you know you have to pay well," she said. "So that's part of the factor I would say. Another is that many states don't have financial aid programs like ours. We tend to tip more money toward lower income students."

Minnesota lawmakers have also been giving higher education lower funding.

"We went through a very tough budget situation in the last several years," said Heegaard. "One of the things that happened is that tuition went up."

Then there's what's happening elsewhere.

"California, for example, their two-year schools are practically free," said Heegaard. "Somehow they've figured out a way to do that, and that really pulls the average numbers down."

There's even more bad news for students and their parents. Two Minnesota loan providers, TCF and NorthStar Education Finance, recently decided to get out of the student loan business, meaning loans may be harder to get this year.

So what can parents do to keep the cost of college down?

"The earlier you start saving for college the better," said Heegaard.

You can also encourage your kids to take challenging classes. Around 41,000 Minnesota students are getting college classes out of the way through Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, College in the Schools and post-secondary classes.

Starting this fall, those students and others who've taken college prep courses will receive the Minnesota Achieve grant. It's a $1,200 gift for challenging themselves in high school.

Given the high tuition costs, you may think you can't afford to go to college. Heegaard said you can't afford not to.

"You can't foreclose on your college education," she said. "It's the most important investment. Whether you get a certificate, a two-year degree, four-year degree, graduate school, it's critical. It's the door opener for your future."


(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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