New Jersey Has Nation’s Third-Highest College Tuition Cost [AUDIO]

The higher cost of higher education, in New Jersey and across the country, continues to go higher.

The figures from the College Board show there was an average tuition increase for New Jersey colleges and universities of $400 this year. Jennifer Ma co-authored the study, "Trends" for the College Board. She says when you include room and board and other fees, those costs rapidly reach the point where family affordability becomes an issue. Ma says government aid, especially in New Jersey, is just not there.

Paul Shelly of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities says facilities improvements have been put on the backs of tuition-paying students because state aid has not been forthcoming. But, He says not all of the news is bad. Shelly says as the state investment in operations has gone down, the investment in financial aid for students has gone up.

At twelve thousand-and-change, the state's average four-year college tuition is now third-highest nationally.