What's Pushing College Costs?

This is college decision week for Massachusetts high school seniors. Deciding where to go to university is hard but figuring out how to pay is even harder these days.

The global credit crunch has forced lenders to cut back, or pull out of the student loan business altogether. Meanwhile, the cost of college is at an all-time high.

In-state tuition and fees at public schools have jumped 35% in the past five years and, in the past quarter century, the cost of college in general has risen faster than personal income and inflation.

WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti looks into what's driving the price rise.

Audio for this story will be available on WBUR's web site later today.