The high costs of college hurt students’ ability to finish a degree, and especially hold back poor students from getting better jobs, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education says.

Its annual edition of yearly top 10 education issues notes that the cost of going to a college or university has doubled in 10 years, and that the cost of going to a Georgia technical colleges is up 65 percent, during that time.

The inability to pay for tuition is a major reason students fail to complete a degree, the group’s study says.

The report notes that enrollment in the Technical College System of Georgia has declined yearly since 2010, at the same time the need for skilled workers is climbing. Student financial aid is insufficient to give students the help they need. The Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education concludes the state needs a needs-based scholarship program.

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