Opinion: College prices aren’t skyrocketing—but they’re still too high for some
“While the net price is what’s relevant for understanding college affordability, unfortunately it is not as easy as it should be to find reliable information on net prices and how they have changed over time. To help fill this void, I have been collecting better net price data for selected colleges. These data confirm that lower- and middle-income students pay a net price that is typically much less than the sticker price. And net prices have actually been falling, on average, in recent years, not rising. But the data also show that the net price many lower-income students must pay is still too high at most institutions. This lack of college affordability for lower-income students, not the dramatic rise in sticker prices which only higher-income students pay, is what should capture our attention.”