Obama Decries College Costs

President Barack Obama embraced the idea of federal action to restrain the rapidly increasing cost of higher education, giving a boost to a long-simmering policy idea that has gained steam amid growing frustration with rising tuition. His proposal that colleges and universities cut costs or risk losing out on some federal aid was part of a larger package of “college affordability” ideas unveiled by the president Friday in a speech at the University of Michigan. Obama wants to increase funds for higher education, mostly through an expansion of federal loan programs. He also will require colleges and universities to give families standardized information to allow comparison shopping on financial aid packages, graduation rates and employment prospects for a college’s graduates. Obama also called for Congress to act to prevent a doubling of the interest rate this summer for the government’s subsidized Stafford loan program, which covers more than 7 million students/ Christi Parsons , Tribune Washington Bureau. More here . (AP file illustration)

Question: Could you afford to go to college today?