A study conducted by Kaplan Test Prep and MONEY Magazine took steps to address the rising costs of college tuition by asking parents of high school students for their input on tuition-easing government proposals.

The survey is part of a series of surveys about college finances and includes responses from 528 parents of high school students. The survey aims to create a national dialogue about taking action in making higher education more affordable, said Michael Boothroyd, executive director of college admissions programs for Kaplan Test Prep.

“Parents of college-going teens are the population most directly impacted by rising college costs,” Boothroyd said. “For the most part, they are the ones who are paying the tuition bills, so it made sense to gauge their views on policies being discussed in the political arena.”

In Washington, D.C. and state legislatures, there have been a number of proposals for ways to make college more affordable, but none have been widely adopted, Boothroyd said. The survey asked respondents to give their opinions on a variety of these proposals in order for Kaplan Test Prep and MONEY to explore how much popular support might be behind the proposals, Boothroyd said.

One of these proposals would end all federal aid and tax breaks given that the first two years of college tuition were free regardless of income. Forty-five percent of those surveyed supported this plan, and 29 percent opposed it, according to a press release about the survey.

Forty-four percent of parents agreed with a proposal that gives a free year of tuition to students that live at home and take online courses. Thirty-two percent of parents opposed this proposal, according to the release.

The least supported proposals included one that would raise public college tuition for higher-income families to provide more scholarship money for lower-income families. This proposal was opposed by 44 percent and supported by 31 percent of respondents, according to the release.

A proposal that would allow an investor to cover a student’s college tuition costs in exchange for a percentage of the student’s income after graduation was opposed by 50 percent of the respondents, according to the release.

“As the survey confirms, parents are looking to political leaders for real solutions to the problem of college costs, not just glib proposals,” said Greg Daugherty, education editor at MONEY, in the release. “At the same time, we’re seeing parents holding colleges more accountable for delivering value for the money. These are both very encouraging trends.”

A recent College Board report found that the average public college tuition with room and board and additional fees is now $19,548 — a $617 increase from last year — and the average private college tuition is now $43,921 — a $1,476 increase from last year, according to the report.

“While the not-so-bad news is that this year’s tuition increase is the lowest since the 1970s, government data show that tuition costs have outpaced inflation rate for years,” said Lee Weiss, vice president of college admissions programs at Kaplan Test Prep, in the release.

College students have been change agents for issues they care about throughout American history, Boothroyd said, and student loan debt is an important issue for millions of them.

“Not every policy may benefit them equally, but they should be aware of the policy discussions that impact them and if they care enough to make a difference, students should be involved and make their opinions known,” he said.

Published on November 30, 2015 at 9:17 pm

Contact Joanna: jorland@syr.edu