The price tag for public higher education in Georgia is still going higher. WABE's John Lorinc reports.
Parents of college-bound children are given fair warning … the price tag on a college education is still heading north.
Tuition at 27 of Georgia’s colleges and universities will be going up 2.5% The increase will be higher at four of the state’s most prominent schools.
“I think it’s less to the fault of the university system than it is for the past governors and General Assembly who have drastically cut the state appropriations to the university systems. That’s what is causing this problem,” says Alan Essig, the executive director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute.
The State Board of Regents approved a 7% increase at Georgia Tech, a 5% increase at the University of Georgia and 3.5% for both Georgia State and Georgia Regents University.
Overall, Essig says the cost of higher education in Georgia has risen about 70% over the past six years.
“The fact that we’re putting more pressure on students to have student loans, that is, you know, a huge problem for them paying back once they graduate. That we make it less affordable so that students may not be able to end up finishing school, that’s a problem for the long term economic growth for the state,” says Essig.
State officials, including University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby and Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson, say these tuition increases are needed to provide Georgians quality education.
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