College costs continue to climb.

According to the College Board, college tuition and fees for 1996-97 continued to climb at almost the same rate as the previous year and financial aid was available to students at a record level - more than $50,000,000,000. Undergraduates at American colleges are paying, on average, approximately five percent more in tuition and fees at four-year institutions, as well as four to six percent more for room and board.

At four-year private institutions, students are paying $607 more ($12,823 vs. $12,216); at four-year public institutions, $155 more ($2,966 vs. $1,330); and at two-year public institutions, $64 more ($1.394 vs. $1,330) Tuition and fee surcharges for out-of-district students at public institutions average $2,850 and $4,738 at two-year and four-year colleges, respectively.

Despite tuition costs that he says "are daunting to many,"...