The issue State funding for higher education. Where we stand In Virginia, the notion of a public university is, in a financial sense, becoming obsolete. Despite the rising costs of college, there's no shortage of students willing to enroll. Parents able to pay is another story. Gone are the days that college was simply one more line on a family's household budget. Student loans may postpone the pain, but they have failed to keep up with rising costs. Tuition, even for one child, is likely to be a family's biggest expense, above the mortgage and car payments. That means today's public institutions are increasingly less than public in practice. When William and Mary's annual costs rise to nearly $23,000, it can hardly be said to be a bargain, except when compared with private schools that are even further out of reach. This fall, Virginia Military Institute will cost more than $21,500; the University of Virginia will set a student back $21,425 a year.
http://hamptonroads.com/2012/07/public-colleges-under-pressure
