On campus beat: Rise slows in sticker prices for colleges

College prices are still rising in Minnesota -- but at slower rate.

In-state tuition and fees at the state's public four-year universities grew an average of 2 percent, to $10,388, according to a new report by the College Board.

At public two-year colleges, the sticker price rose 3 percent, to an average of $5,380.

That compares with national averages of 4.8 percent at four-year universities and 5.8 percent at two-year colleges.

But Minnesota's public colleges and universities still rank among the most expensive, the report shows.

The state's public community and technical colleges have the third-highest sticker price in the country. Those colleges account for a lot of students -- 44 percent of those enrolled in the state's public institutions. That's the 12th-largest percentage in the nation.

"Many times our policymakers tend to talk as if everybody went to four-year colleges," said Tricia Grimes, policy analyst at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. "In reality, a big chunk of our students attend two-year schools."

So far, we've been talking sticker prices.

But about two-thirds of students pay less than the published price, Sandy Baum, a co-author of the report, said in a phone call Tuesday with reporters. The price students actually pay after grants and scholarships -- known as the "net price" -- had in recent years leveled off and even dropped, thanks to a bump in federal grants and tax credits.

This year, that average net price rose more than 4 percent, the biggest increase since 2003. (The report does not break down net price averages by state.)

"The net tuition is rising," Baum said, "so the burden on students is rising."