Spike in Calif. students seeking financial aid
By Loretta Kalb, Sacramento Bee
After years of rising tuition and pressure on household budgets, a record number of students across California are applying for college financial aid.
Over the last six school years, the number of California residents filing the federal financial aid application jumped nearly 74 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Some local colleges saw even higher increases, such as an 81 percent rise among California State University, Sacramento, applicants.
It’s the latest sign that college families have grown akin to mall shoppers when it comes to price: fewer and fewer expect to pay sticker price.