PrepPoint

Tamar Lewin, contributor to The New York Times, writes, “Students and families can compare colleges’ tuitions, the pace at which they are rising and the net cost of attending each college on a new Web site the Department of Education made public on Thursday, fulfilling a legislative mandate.

“The new lists, required by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, show the institutions with the highest and lowest tuitions, the highest and lowest percentage tuition increases over the last two years, and the highest and lowest net price — that is, the actual price full-time students pay, including room and board, after financial aid like grants and scholarships are taken into account.”

Laurel Rosenhall, blogger for the Sacramento Bee, writes, “Students at California’s public colleges and universities should brace for more tuition increases given the budget plan the Legislature is voting on today.

“The 2011-12 plan calls for cutting an additional $150 million each from the California State University and the University of California — for a total loss to each system of $650 million for the year.”