Five States Where College Tuition is Soaring!

For parents concerned about the rising cost of college, financial advisers have traditionally recommended public universities. After all, they almost always carry much smaller price tags than private universities.

But many state schools are now raising tuition at double-digit rates—sometimes with very little advance notice. Here are the five states where the cost of a public four-year college education has seen the steepest increases over the past few years.

California. Average tuition and fees for in-state student: $9,022 in 2011-12, up 20.5% from a year prior and 98.3% from five years ago.

And the worst could be yet to come. If state residents vote against state tax increases in the November elections, the school system will have to come up with money fast to fill the $375 million budget gap that would ensue, says Dianne Klein, a spokeswoman for the University of California's Office of the President. Under that scenario, tuition could rise 20.3% for the second semester of the upcoming academic year.

Arizona: Average tuition and fees for in-state student: $9,428 in 2011-12, up 16.8% from a year prior and 101.7% from five years ago.

This year, state funding will total $708 million, down from nearly $1.1 billion for the 2007-08 academic year, says Katie Paquet, spokeswoman for the Arizona Board of Regents.

Georgia. Average tuition and fees for in-state student: $6,808 in 2011-12, up 15.9% from a year prior and 74.2% from five years prior.

Last year, the state also reduced the amount of money it doled out through its merit-based Hope Scholarship.

And it's looking at cutting direct funding to higher education. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal recently proposed a $54 million cut through June 2014, which if enacted would reduce spending over that period to roughly $1.7 billion. A decision is expected early next year.

Washington. Average tuition and fees for in-state student: $9,484 in 2011-12, up 15.7% from a year prior and 67.3% from five years prior.

Income from sales taxes (the state doesn't have an individual income tax) slumped during the recession, leaving the state with less money to go around. So the state granted permissions to its public universities to raise tuition.

In June, the University of Washington announced a 16% increase in tuition and fees for the upcoming year.

Nevada. Average tuition and fees for in-state student: $6,044 in 2011-12, up 3.7% from a year prior and 65.8% from five years prior.

Over the past five academic years, Nevada raised tuition and fees at its community colleges by 48% on average, according to the College Board. Costs at four-year public colleges rose 66%. During the last academic year, the state approved an 8% tuition increase for all undergraduates, which kicks in this fall.

Source: Wall Street Journal

—AnnaMaria Andriotis 
SmartMoney.com