College tuition rose by 6.5 percent on average at four-year public universities for the 2009-'10 school year, according to a report from the College Board released Tuesday.
Tuition across the UW System increased by 5.5 percent, but tuition at UW-Madison rose by a slightly higher percentage because of additional increases from the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
Average tuition at four-year public universities was $18,548 for out-of-state students, a 6.2 percent increase from last year, and $7,020 for in-state students, according to the report.
Sara Goldrick-Rab, UW-Madison professor of education policy studies and sociology, said she was not surprised to hear about the increase. She said tuition rose by 6.4 percent last year at UW-Madison, a 0.7 percent increase after adjusting for inflation.
""It's not particularly high, but college is getting less affordable since family income isn't rising nearly as much and the amount of available financial aid [grants] isn't increasing at the same rate,"" she said.
She said financial aid ""rarely keeps up"" with increases in tuition and said the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant, a state-funded grant for undergraduates with financial need, ran out early this year.
The average aid grant across universities totaled $5,041 per full-time student last year, according to the College Board report.
Although the economic recession tightened budgets for financial aid providers, Goldrick-Rab said the real effects of the recession will be felt in future years.
""Declining state support will have long-lasting effects, causing the universities to further shift the burden of paying for college onto students and families,"" she said.
