Bush helps colleges and universities collect more funds from students.

A survey by the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges reports tuition hikes at state colleges and universities in at least 37 states -- almost all as a result of state budget cuts. Increases in in-state tuition range from 4.6 percent at the University of Illinois to nearly 40 percent for the schools in the University of California system. The State University of New York, which includes 64 campuses throughout the Empire State, is typical. After the state legislature cut the budget 20 percent for the school system, SUNY raised annual tuition 28 percent -- from $3,400 to $4,350. "We did not do it lightly," said Shirley Strom Kenny, the president of Stony Brook University, a SUNY school. "But if we didn't raise tuition, we would have to limit what we offer to our students." The $950 increase has hit SUNY students hard: Most are from middle-class and working-class families. "We have been inundated by phone calls from parents and students, asking what are we going to do about this increase," said Jacqueline Pascariello, interim director of financial aid at Stony Brook. The tuition hike means most students must take out more loans and add to their debt burden -- which for state college and university graduates nationwide already averages between $16,000 and $20,000.