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Finding Four : Paying for College Is Difficult but Doable

College is perceived as expensive, and 60% of Pennsylvania residents agree that families are not doing a good job saving for college. Pennsylvanians are divided on whether there are many qualified people who are currently unable to attend college. Fifty percent feel that there are many people who are qualified to go to college but do not have an opportunity to do so, as compared to 43% who say that the vast majority of those who are qualified have the opportunity to do so.

But the majority of Pennsylvanians are convinced that where there is a will, there is a way. Ninety-one percent either strongly (63%) or somewhat (28%) agree that people who really want to go to college can find a way to pay for it even if they have to go to school and work at the same time.

Pennsylvanians also support a broad range of financial aid proposals, with 80% thinking that the government should offer more tax breaks and credits for students, 73% favoring more funds for work-study and 65% favoring more money for loans. Direct grants to students were somewhat less popular; only 50% favored more money for grants.

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