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She wasn't particularly concerned about it. As a newly single mom, she had more pressing financial worries: getting a good job, finding an affordable place to live and securing good daycare.

But now, with one child in college and another preparing to go, Cristie finds herself facing questions that are all too common for low- and moderate-income families: Is college affordable? And how much can be expected from grants and financial aid programs?

Those kinds of questions seemed a long way off when, wanting to be near family, Cristie moved with Jessie, then 7, and Lindie, then 4, from Des Moines to the small Iowa town where she grew up. She knew it was the right decision, even though it meant she probably wouldn't find a job that could pay her what her experience and education warranted.

She eventually landed a position as office manager at a county hospital. It's a good job, but Cristie, who has an MBA, is overqualified and underpaid. So she supplements her income by working nights at a convenience store.

Cristie first tackled the issue of college financing four years ago, when Jessie was a junior in high school. She went back to court with her ex-husband to discuss options. They each agreed to pay one-third of Jessie's college expenses. Jessie had to pay the final third herself.

Jessie, who graduated from high school with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, is now a junior at Iowa State University, where she's majoring in communications studies. Because of her excellent grades in high school and college, Jessie earned a few scholarships that help cover her portion. She also receives grant money and works between 10 and 15 hours a week at two jobs — as a research assistant in the sociology department and as a stagehand at the local event center. Despite her parents' help, the grants and scholarships, and her own income from working, Jessie thinks she'll graduate with about $10,000 in student-loan debt.

"If Jessie didn't have the scholarships, I would have felt some obligation to help repay her loans or to assume some of the debt myself, which would have meant taking out a second mortgage," Cristie said. "I'm so thankful that she's so bright and earned scholarships. Otherwise, we'd both be in big trouble."

But Cristie's not out of the financial woods yet. Her second daughter, 18-year-old Lindie, will start college next fall. Cristie doesn't think Lindie will receive the type of merit-based financial aid that Jessie did, so she's beginning to calculate how much she can afford to help Lindie above and beyond her required one-third.

Cristie knows she was fortunate with Jessie. But she's nervous about getting Lindie through college without amassing significant debt. Despite her best efforts, she simply couldn't afford to save money for her daughters' college educations.

"Saving for college is a great ideal," Cristie said. "But for people in my income bracket, it's hard to truly save for college. I know there are tax advantages on some college accounts, but you have to be in the financial position to be able to put money aside and not touch it. I just don't have those excess funds."

Rising college costs mean fewer choose to attend
Several recent studies confirm what Cristie already knows: It's getting harder and harder for students from low- and moderate-income families to afford college. As a result, fewer even consider college. And for those who do, many choose to attend two-year institutions, most avoid more expensive colleges, and the majority never graduate.

According to a recently released study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, paying for college is much more difficult for most American families than it was just a decade ago. One explanation is that tuition has increased faster than family incomes. In New Jersey, for example, college expenses take 34 percent of family income, up from 24 percent just 10 years ago.

The numbers are even worse for low-income students. According to "Indicators of Opportunity in Higher Education," a new study from the Pell Institute, low-income students tend to pay less to attend college, but their families pay the most as a percentage of total income. For low-income students, the total cost to attend a four-year, public university accounted for approximately 60 percent of family income in 1999-2000. The share was substantially less for students in middle- and higher-income families — only 17 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Families also are struggling to afford college because financial aid doesn't have the purchasing power it once did. Some states, such as Illinois and New Jersey, have reduced financial aid programs for low-income students. Other states, such as Indiana and Massachusetts, have increased financial aid for low-income students, but the increases in financial aid haven't kept pace with tuition increases.

Likewise, federal Pell Grants have not kept up with inflation. Despite funding increases for Pell Grants in recent years, their purchasing power is at its lowest point in 30 years. As a result, grant levels fall significantly short of student need.

Moreover, a decreasing portion of federal aid is distributed according to need. Pell Grants constitute only 13 percent of all federally supported student aid. Loans and tax credits now make up the majority of federal aid.

Increased college costs have had a devastating impact on low-income students. Over the past decade, most states have seen a considerable increase in the enrollment of high-income students and a proportionately significant decrease in the enrollment of low-income students. In 1999, 31 percent of low-income 18- to 24-year-olds were or had been enrolled in college. For high-income people in the same age group, the figure was 79 percent. That's a gap that, despite all that's known about the benefits of a college education, continues to grow.

Somehow, Cristie will get Lindie through college. But many students in her situation won't be as lucky. They'll end up as one of the statistics — one of the people whose future was derailed by rising college costs.  

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More than a financial issue

Study after study confirms that rising college costs are preventing low-income students from attending college. But college access is more than a financial issue. While affordability is a major problem, it's just one of several barriers that low-income students must overcome to get to — and succeed in — college. Other barriers include:

1. Poor academic preparation. Many low-income students don't receive adequate college preparation in high school. As a result, they struggle in college and often drop out.

2. Lack of understanding about financial aid. Many low-income students don't know how the financial-aid system works. For example, the American Council on Education released a study that says 1.7 million low- and moderate-income students failed to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the 1999-2000 school year. About 850,000 of them would have been eligible for a federal Pell Grant.

3. Lack of resources. Low-income students sometimes don't know where to turn for information about choosing a college, filling out admission forms and applying for financial aid. Some studies have suggested that better counseling and more mentoring — not more financial aid — may be the key to increasing college enrollment among low-income students.

4. Inadequate support system at college. Low-income students often fail in college because they don't have a support network to help them succeed.

Clearly, low-income students need academic and social support as well as financial support. Pre-college outreach programs and in-college support services can help students from low-income families access — and succeed in — college.