Preparing for the 2016 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, the state auditor prepared a report on the rising costs of college.

The report details why college costs have gone up 77 percent in a decade in Georgia.

Among some of the reasons are:

A cost shift from the state to students and parents because of an effective decrease in state funding per student of $2,448, adjusted for inflation, as state appropriations failed to keep up with growing student enrollment.

To make up for some of those losses, the University System increased fees of $2,069 per student to keep pace with the “loss” of appropriations.

Also, average awards from HOPE scholarships decreased $1,087 a year.

Institutions increased facility fees by an average of $286 per school year. The fees pay for facilities such as stadiums, recreation centers, parking decks and student centers.

Athletic fees, which pay for sports programs, grew by an average of $132 per school year.

The auditor’s report shows college in Georgia is still more affordable than other states.

Read the whole story here.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Members of Columbia University's student workers union and their supporters protest the detention of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and recent actions taken by the Trump administration against the university, Friday, March 14, 2025, in New York. (Jason DeCrow/AP)

Credit: AP

Featured

A new poll from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explored what Georgians thought about the first 100 days in office of President Donald Trump’s second term. Photo illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC

Credit: Philip Robibero/AJC