Penn State received a top ranking last week that students should take very seriously.

It isn't the number one jock school. It isn't the number one party school.

A USA Today poll found that, of 67 public flagship universities in the United States, Penn State ranks no. 1 for the most expensive education for in-state tuition at a public university.

Tuition rose 12 percent last year, to $10,856 a year for in-state students.

While many students' parents pay tuition, causing those students to not care about the rising cost of their education, many others work to pay their way through school.

For those students, the difference of 12 percent -- a few hundred dollars a year -- means the difference between being full time and part time.

For many, it means the difference between a college degree and saying "Would you like fries with that?" for the rest of their lives. If the university and state don't get the point, this is a serious issue that affects the heart of Penn State, affordable higher education.

At the same time that college tuition is rapidly rising, Penn State's ranking continues to decrease.

This year, Penn State dropped five spots in the annual U.S. News and World Report ranking of the nation's top universities, from 45 to 50. Something needs to -- and can -- be done to help try and fight low state funding and rising tuition.

Otherwise, the quality of a very expensive education is dropping as tuition continues going up, and that's just embarrassing.

Students should be taking part in lobbying trips that are organized by student government. They can also go ahead and schedule their own.

Those people in Harrisburg are there, voted for by the people, to serve and listen to their constituents. So take advantage of it.

However, it is understandable that many students just don't have the time to travel to Harrisburg to meet with legislators. How can they?

They're too busy working toward their degrees and at jobs to fund their education to do anything else.

Government officials have said they want to stop the "brain drain" and keep college graduates in Pennsylvania. But how can students support a state that does not support them?

It is safe to say that Penn State produces more graduates than many other colleges in the state.

Considering that, and considering the impact Penn State has on the state's economy, students deserve better recognition in the form of increased funding.