This letter to the editor by Assistant Secretary Sally L. Stroup appeared in the New York Times on June 14, 2005.

To the Editor:

Your June 7 editorial about federal college financial aid ("Crushing Upward Mobility") seems to be missing a key fact: the soaring price of college tuition.

According to our calculations, tuition and fees per student in public universities increased by 99 percent between 1970 and 2001, in constant dollars. So let's remember that universities themselves bear a large responsibility in "keeping college affordable for all Americans."

The administration has shown its commitment to keep college within the reach of all students by putting our money where our mouth is: under President Bush's leadership, financing for Pell Grants has increased by nearly 50 percent over the last five years.

And the president has proposed an additional $19 billion over 10 years for Pell Grants, financing more than five million recipients next year alone.

Sally L. Stroup
Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education
Department of Education