Cost of Attendance Report for 1997
Introduction
Public Act 94-180 requires the Commissioner of Higher
Education to report biennially to the Education Committee of the
Connecticut General Assembly on trends in the cost of attendance
at Connecticut colleges and universities and on the availability
of all forms of financial aid relative to economic conditions and
personal income. This paper is the first of such reports.
This report is particularly timely because of increasing
concerns over the rising costs of college attendance.
Connecticut’s higher education system has prided itself on
its ability to deliver high quality, flexible and accessible
programs. Yet, in less than a decade, Connecticut’s public
higher education system has gone from being modestly priced to
one of the most expensive systems in the country. Costs have
risen by more than 140 percent since 1988 while state financial
aid resources have remained stagnant. This report seeks to focus
attention on this issue and lay the groundwork for a serious
discussion on how to maintain financial accessibility to
postsecondary education for Connecticut residents.
The report begins with a general discussion of the financial
trends and challenges which face the system, followed by a
description of who our students are and what they desire from the
system. The report then attempts to respond to some basic
questions about access to Connecticut higher education including:
The final section of the report makes some preliminary
recommendations on possible strategies or approaches to
addressing the issues of access and affordability in Connecticut.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Trends
and Challenges
Who
Are Our Students?
How
Much Does It Cost to Go to College in Connecticut?
Can
Connecticut Students Afford to Pay?
How Does Financial Aid Work?
Are Our Colleges
Able to Meet Need?
Are
Connecticut Public Colleges Affordable?
Conclusions
and Recommendations
End Notes
Attachment A
Attachment
B
Attachment C
Attachment D
Attachment
E
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