Just
last year, tuition and fees at four-year
public colleges rose 6.5 percent. Unfortunately, this continues a decades-long
trend of rising college costs, even during periods of economic unease and low
inflation. Escalating prices have also coincided
with stagnation in need-based financial aid availability, the result of which has
been mounting levels of student debt for low and middle-income families. In
this context, there has been greater reliance on savings, particularly through
529 college savings plans, in order to increase college affordability and
