As if college students don’t have enough financial concerns, the Federal Reserve Bank has found a link between increasing federal aid and rising tuition, in a report they published this year.

It is troubling, disheartening and upsetting to see a link between rising aid and rising tuition. Increasing financial aid is clearly meant to assist and ease the burden of college costs, ideally making a college education more feasible for students. But that theory and goal is made useless if tuition rises with it.

The prospect of tuition rising with aid continuing will make it increasingly difficult for lower and middle class families to send their children to college. And if Governor Rauner’s proposal to cut the University’s funding is approved, Illinois students and the state as a whole are looking at a bleak fiscal future.

In a Daily Illini article published today, Associate Vice President for Planning and Budgeting Randy Kangas said that when the Board of Trustees sets tuition each year, it does not look at federal aid given to students. If there are students in need and receiving federal aid, the University should consider that factor when setting tuition.

The Daily Illini also interviewed Dan Mann, director of Student Financial Aid, who said the lack of state support has been a factor in the recent years of tuition rise. “The state is no longer providing the same support as they have in the past and that’s been a big part of that decision making,” Mann said. “In recent years, the institution has been putting more grant money into financial aid packages in order to help us be a bit more competitive.”

Incidentally, efforts have been made in the past few years to increase University enrollment. Seemingly misguided attempts have targeted the notification date for applicants, which resulted in getting rid of deferring students.

However, no amount of effort can truly help enrollment numbers without looking at the skyrocketing tuition that makes it hard for many in and out-of-state applicants to attend the University.

One of the best parts about attending this institution is the ability to interact with different students from different backgrounds. Without taking a firm look at our tuition rates, we face finding ourselves surrounded by people only with the thickest wallets.

By cancelling out the effects that financial aid has, we make this institution more difficult to attend, which directly goes against recent University efforts. The University needs to take a serious look at the tuition prices, and they should do students the courtesy of considering financial aid rates and student need when doing so.