Washington - Tuition fees at US universities have risen sharply over the past year as college boards hoped to recoup some of their losses from the country's deep recession, according to a report by a private education group Tuesday. The College Board said tuition jumped 6.5 per cent at public institutions and 4.4 per cent at private universities from the 2008- 2009 academic year, putting more pressure on students that are already paying among the highest rates in the world.
The tuition increases are similar to those of the previous year, while the recession has pushed US consumer prices down 2.1 per cent over the same period.
The average tuition fee for the 2009-2010 year was 7,020 dollars per year for public universities and 26,273 dollars per year at private universities.
Universities have been forced to cut back on their faculty and facilities during the downturn. Private schools have faced dwindling financial support from alumni and public institutions have received less aid from states battling their own budget deficits.
"No sector is immune to the current economic downturn and that includes our nation's post-secondary institutions," said Molly Corbett, president of the American Council on Education, a lobbying group for universities. "Every major revenue source for colleges and universities has been under stress."
Corbett pointed to one silver lining: Student aid for those who can ill-afford the tuition fees increased by 13 billion dollars over the year.
