The University of Colorado at Boulder this week joins more than 1200 colleges and universities in the "College is Possible" campaign to enhance public knowledge about financing a college education.
The campaign, sponsored by the Coalition of America's Colleges and Universities, will include efforts by local campuses to reach students and parents in their region, and will last through the year 2000.
The campaign is in response to survey research showing that, while parents and students value a college education, many dramatically overestimate the price, often by as much as 200 percent. At the same time, they underestimate the resources available to help them pay for college.
The danger is that many citizens will miss out on the opportunity for a college education because they do not have adequate information about options and sources of help. The students most at risk are minority students, families with low incomes and students whose parents did not attend college.
"We often hear from Colorado families that CU-Boulder is unaffordable and much more expensive than other universities in the state," notes Chancellor Richard L. Byyny. "This is an unfortunate misperception, but it's part of a larger misperception that higher education is more expensive than it really is."
According to the Coalition of America's Colleges and Universities, the average tuition for the academic year 1997-98 was $3,111 for a four-year public university. At CU-Boulder, the 1997-98 tuition for full-time in-state students in the College of Arts and Sciences was $2,356.
Nationally, seven out of 10 full-time students qualify for financial aid. Over $60 billion is available to students from federal, state, local and institutional resources.
At CU-Boulder, each year more than half of all students apply for and receive some form of financial aid, according to Barbara Schneider, director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid. This aid totals about $120 million annually, usually in some combination of loans, student employment, scholarships and grants. About 46 percent of the Colorado residents who go to CU-Boulder receive about $37.5 million in financial aid per year.
"It's important that high-school students and their families know that college degrees, in addition to the personal and intellectual benefits, give them a better chance for higher-paying and more rewarding jobs," said Byyny.
"Not only is the investment in an advanced degree less than they may think, it will also pay off for them in the long run."
The lifetime earnings of someone with a bachelor's degree are about $540,000 higher than those with just a high school diploma. The lifetime earnings of someone with a master's degree are about $700,000 higher.
"I encourage students and their families to contact our admissions and financial aid offices to find out more about a CU-Boulder education."
Information on CU-Boulder admissions and financial aid can be found at and at , or by calling admissions at 303-492-3601 or financial aid at 303-492-5091.
More information on how to pay for an education can be found at CollegeIsPossible.org, or at the U.S. Department of Education's special toll-free number for college information at 1-800-433-3243.