House Education Committee Explores Solutions to Rising College Costs

     WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House Education & the Workforce Committee, chaired by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), today heard testimony on the alarming rate at which college costs have risen in recent years. The hearing followed the release of the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance’s report entitled Empty Promises: The Myth of College Access in America.

     According to the report, due to financial barriers, nearly one-half of all college-qualified, low- and moderate-income high school graduates fully prepared to attend a four-year college will be unable to do so, and 170,000 of these students will attend no college at all.

     Dr. Juliet Garcia, president of the University of Texas at Brownsville and chairperson of the Advisory Board, noted that this country, “invests in student aid in order to ensure that the opportunity to attend college and attain a bachelor’s degree does not depend on family income alone. Nevertheless, the financial barriers to a college education have risen sharply due to shifts in policies and priorities at the federal, state, and institutional levels, resulting in a shortage of student aid, and, in particular, need-based grant aid, as well as rising college tuition.”

    “As a result, students from low- and moderate-income families who graduate from high school fully prepared to attend a four-year college confront daunting financial barriers with major implications for these students and the nation,” Garcia continued.

     Boehner expressed concern that despite congressional efforts that have recently resulted in the lowest student loan rate in history and record funding for Pell Grants, many students across the country still cannot afford a college education.

     “It is of great concern to me that at its maximum, an annual $4,000 Pell Grant, the highest maximum award in the program’s history, along with other available aid, is not enough to allow a low-income student to cover the costs of tuition and fees at a public four-year college. It is clear that access to higher education involves more than just financial aid. Higher education is a top priority for this Congress and the Bush Administration. It will take the commitment of many - the federal government, state government, institutions, and even the private sector - to open the doors of higher education to all who prepare themselves and want to attend,” Boehner said.

     Lawrence Gladieux, an independent education and public policy consultant, noted that the “most straightforward action the federal government could take is to restore the promise and purchasing power that Pell Grants once represented for low-income students.”

     He further testified that while financial aid is necessary, it is an “insufficient condition for achieving the goal of equal opportunity. Access is not enough, nor is financial aid. To lift student aspirations and readiness of students for postsecondary education, complementary approaches are required. In sum, we need a much wider and deeper societal commitment to reaching, motivating, and preparing low-income students for college - and assuring that price is not a barrier.”

     Education committee leaders noted that ensuring access to college education for high-school graduates is the most critical issue Congress must address as it looks ahead to reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2003.

     “This committee will continue to build on the higher education reforms enacted in 1998 to expand access to a high quality and affordable college education, to ensure the availability of low cost student loans and to simplify the student aid system and ensure program quality and accountability,” stated Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), chairman of the 21st Century Competitiveness Subcommittee and a leader on higher education.     

     “This will allow us to help open the doors of opportunity to millions of Americans who might not otherwise be able to afford a college education. This country simply can not afford to waste the talent or energy of any of its young people,” McKeon stated. “It is our responsibility to see that all young people have the tools and resources that are necessary to ensure their success - regardless of where they live or what their economic circumstances.”