Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Carmen Berkley is well-schooled in the rising cost of higher education.

The Shadyside resident graduated from the University of Pittsburgh last spring with about $80,000 of college debt.

"The cost of my education has been outrageous," said Berkley, 22. "If you're intelligent enough to go to any college you want, you shouldn't be punished with unmanageable loan debt."

Berkley is among 150 students and recent college graduates attending the national convention of the United States Student Association on the Pitt campus. The convention began Saturday, a day after Pitt adopted a 6.5 percent tuition increase for the Oakland campus.

Topping the Washington-based advocacy group's agenda are the issues of college affordability and school debt.

Pennsylvania's average annual tuition and fees rank fifth highest among public, four-year colleges at $9,041, and 10th highest among private, four-year schools at $25,591, according to the College Board, a New York-based group that tracks college costs. The national average is $5,836 for public institutions and $22,218 for private ones.

Participants at the convention have practiced writing letters on college affordability and listened to testimonials from students steeped in debt.

"We want to make sure it's not only getting a foot in the door, but also graduating and succeeding," said Rebecca Thompson, the group's legislative director and a May graduate of Northern Michigan University. The group had planned a march Tuesday to raise awareness of the issue of college affordability but canceled it because it lacked necessary permits.

Berkley, the incoming vice president of the group, grew up in Stanton Heights but moved with her mother to Georgia for five years. That made her an out-of-state student with nearly double the tuition of Pennsylvania residents.

She worked as a waitress, a work-study student in Pitt's Study Abroad office and a saleswoman at retail shops until January to make ends meet. Her parents provided spending money.

Berkley plans to work full-time for the Student Association to help make college more affordable for others.

"I'm sure I could make more money working for a company," she said. "I have to think about doing what I love, my passion, helping other people, or working somewhere where I know I'll make a lot of money but not doing what I love."

Sandy Baum, senior policy analyst at the College Board, said the college cost issue is complex because many students pay a lot less than the sticker price.

"On average, it's about $6,000 (a year) for tuition and fees at a four-year public college," she said. "That's actually a pretty good deal."

But Kevin Corcoran, a spokesman for Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education, said the United States is lagging behind other industrialized countries in terms of the percentage of people who get a college degree.

"As baby boomers leave the work force, they'll be replaced by people who haven't had as much access to higher education," he said.

Lacee Ecker, a junior at Pitt, is attending the convention. She has borrowed $15,000 and expects to borrow $15,000 more to finish her bachelor's degrees in political science and business. Then she plans to borrow more money for law school.

That means she will not own a house as soon as she would like or even own a car when she's in graduate school.

"My life decisions have to be delayed because of the cost of higher education," said Ecker, 20, of Pottstown in Montgomery County.

By the numbers

States with the highest average annual tuition and fees or four-year public colleges in 2006-07:

1. Vermont, $9,800
2. Ohio, $9,357
3. New Jersey, $9,298
4. New Hampshire, $9,114
5. Pennsylvania, $9,041

States with lowest average annual tuition and fees for four-year public colleges in 2006-07:

1. Florida, $3,336
2. Wyoming, $3,515
3. Nevada, $3,651
4. Louisiana, $3,796
5. Utah, $3,891

States with the highest average annual tuition and fees for four-year private colleges in 2006-07:

1. Massachusetts, $29,335
2. Connecticut, $28,525
3. California, $28,074
4. Colorado, $27,143
5. New Hampshire, $26,881
10. Pennsylvania, $25,591

States with the lowest average annual tuition and fees for four-year private colleges in 2006-07:

1. Utah, $4,596
2. Idaho, $5,405
3. Hawaii, $9,839
4. North Dakota, $11,166
5. Delaware, $12,089

Source: College Board

--Bill Zlatos