Although Penn State students may be used to rising tuition costs each year, national trends suggest that financial aid won't be rising any time soon.

The failure of many universities to compensate for rising school costs with more financial aid is a national trend described in the College Board's report "Trends in College Pricing" released last week.

The College Board, which has published reports on college prices for the last 30 years, found that tuition prices have seen the largest increase on record while grant levels remain unchanged.

Tuition is up 6.3 percent this year at four-year public schools across the nation. Although Penn State's in-state tuition increased just $138 from last year as compared to an average increase of $344 at other public schools, Penn State's tuition remains almost double that of the average public school.

Penn State's current in-state tuition of $11,646 is the highest in the nation for public schools. The national average for public school tuition is $5,836 per academic year, according to the report. Private colleges have seen a 5.9-percent tuition increase and now cost an average of $22,218 a year.

In addition, grant assistance from government, college and private sources has not covered the price hikes. While the College Board reported that 62 percent of undergraduates receive grants, the amount of the grants has not increased.

Bob Snyder, a director in the office of student aid, said about 80 percent of Penn State undergraduates receive some form of aid and that this percentage has remained fairly consistent within recent years. Snyder said he recognizes tuition is growing faster than grant aid.

"It's not just here at Penn State," Synder said. "It's a problem across the nation."

Although nationwide state spending on higher education is rising after years of budget cuts, increased enrollment means less money is available to each student.

Sean Algeo (sophomore-business) said he thinks many people, especially those from outside Pennsylvania, struggle to afford tuition costs.

"It's hard for an average family to afford college in general, and Penn State isn't making it easier," he said.

Penn State spokeswoman Jill Shockey said things like growing rates of inflation and costs of doing business, as well as increasingly expensive faculty and staff health insurance, can impact tuition.

But Shockey said decreasing state appropriations is the biggest reason for tuition increases.

"While the university is grateful for higher-than-anticipated state appropriations for this year, historically speaking, this source of funding has decreased proportionately over time, which has affected the tuition rate," she said.

Shockey said the administration is "ever mindful" of the cost of tuition.

"We do fundraising and whatever we can to mitigate costs," Shockey said. "There have been annual budget reductions to stave off any unnecessary spending."

The university's Cost Savings Task Force has identified at least $31 million in savings since it was created in 2002, Shockey said. She added that this action has avoided a 5.5 percent increase in tuition through 2005.

Factoring in inflation, tuition averages rose just 2.4 percent, the smallest increase in six years. Prices have increased 35 percent in the last five years, which is more than any other five-year period since the College Board started its report 30 years ago.

Tim Dunn (sophomore-civil engineering) said high tuition may keep some from attending Penn State.

"It may be keeping out kids who don't have enough money but have the knowledge and skills to go to school here," Dunn said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.