NJ Schools Struggle To Keep College Tuition Affordable

With state funds drying up and expenses at schools on the rise, New Jersey students and parents continue to struggle with paying higher tuition at colleges and universities.

Paul Shelly at the New Jersey Association of Colleges and Universities says they recognize the challenge in keeping costs down, but they have a number of strategies to keep college affordable. "We are cutting back on utility costs, engaging in public-private partnerships, and are taking steps to reduce students time to degree."

Shelly says they have also come up with some creative ideas to entice students to save some money. "Several of them are offering tuition discounting for off-peak enrollment, students taking classes in the summer and also taking classes on Fridays."

Many colleges have also built new dorms to keep students in an active residential environment while they learn and an additional strategy has also been to seek and secure more scholarships from outside sources.

"Stockton College just got a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for math and science students."

Shelly says they also form partnerships with the two-year colleges. "Students can start at a two-year college and end up with a four-year degree, so there is really a whole lot of ways to make costs more affordable for students."

Still, he understands that its an ongoing problem. "Its incumbent on us to try and solve the afforability problem for as many students as possible and yet to continue to offer a top-notch degree and that will be the challenge going forward in the years ahead" said Shelly.

However, a new College Board report shows students are borrowing twice what they did a decade ago. The amount of student loans taken out last year crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time.