House subcommittee looking at rising tuition costs; not-for-profit colleges increasing more than for-profits

After many years of higher-than-the-rate-of-inflation tuition increases at traditional, not-for-profit colleges, Americans are taking notice. And so is a member of Congress.

An hour ago Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) opened a hearing, "Keeping College within Reach: Discussing Ways Institutions Can Streamline Costs and Reduce Tuition," for the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training, which she chairs.

In a press release about that hearing, it's noted that tuition has climbed more than 8 percent at public not-for-profit four-year and two-year colleges in the last decade, 4.5 percent at private four-year schools, but just 3.2 percent at for-profit colleges.

However, the Obama Department of Education wants to institute a burdensome "gainful employment" rule which would apply to for-profit schools, also known as career colleges, but not for the not-for-profits.

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