Tuition pricing, financial aid and student debt levels are still in their postrecession mold.
Prices followed a continuing pattern of slowing growth between 2015-16 and 2016-17 while still increasing more quickly than financial aid availability and family incomes, according to two College Board reports released Wednesday, "Trends in College Pricing" and "Trends in Student Aid." Meanwhile, total education borrowing decreased for the fifth consecutive year as undergraduates relied less on loans to finance their education.
It’s a stark difference from what happened during the Great Recession itself, when borrowing spiked and tuition prices turned sharply upward. But the trends are a continuation of those that have been in place since the recession ended, according to Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who co-wrote the reports.
"There’s no dramatic change this year," she said. "Borrowing is continuing to decline per undergraduate student. Sticker prices are continuing to increase, but not at a really rapid rate."
Read more at Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/10/26/college-price-increases-moderate-borrowing-dips-college-board-report-shows