The cost of a college education is rising across the country — including in Wisconsin.

According to an annual survey released yesterday by the College Board, tuition at both public and private universities across the country has risen 6.6 percent this year. The average in-state tuition at a four-year public university is now $6,185, up $381 from last year.

With room and board included, the national annual price of university education raised 5.9 percent to $13,589.

Despite the increase, the study found the total cost of a University of Wisconsin System education for in-state residents is still below the average of universities across the nation, with the exception of UW-Madison, where resident tuition is $7,159.

For the 2007-08 school year, the average resident tuition at a Wisconsin four-year university is $6,413 — up $371 from the 2006-07 average of $6,042, resulting in a 6 percent increase.

The price at two-year colleges in Wisconsin increased approximately 4 percent throughout the last academic year. Last year, tuition was $3,145, compared to this year’s cost of $3,270.

Tuition at private Wisconsin universities rose 6 percent, from $21,385 to $22,576.

Puerto Rico, a U.S. Commonwealth, had the highest increase in tuition, up 25 percent from last year, followed by Hawaii at 19 percent, the District of Columbia at 17 percent and Colorado at 16 percent.

States with an increase of less than one percent included Maryland, New York, Florida, Ohio, Montana and Wyoming.

The study recognized that many students receive financial aid and federal grants, averaging $3,600 for students at four-year public universities.

UW-Madison Office of Student Financial Aid Director Susan Fischer said although tuition is rising across the United States, financial aid is not increasing at a similar rate.

“The state’s [Wisconsin Higher Education Grants] does increase somewhat based on tuition increases, but not dollar-for-dollar,” Fischer said. “This does not generally keep pace with the actual tuition amount. We are finding that students are paying for additional costs with more borrowing.”

Fischer said she believes tuition increases may be keeping some families from being able to pay for a university education.

“There is enough of a sticker shock out there that I believe some families feel that higher education is not affordable to them,” Fischer said. “I feel strongly that most low-income Wisconsin students should consider a degree from UW-Madison as reachable, but may take a bit longer to graduate and they will need to be willing to take on some modest debt if family resources are limited.”

Fischer also added a degree is worth a little debt, as research shows that people with degrees generally earn a substantially greater amount over their lifetime than those without.

“I really do not want to send a message that they cannot afford to be here — that is not true,” Fischer said. “It is just not an ideal funding structure.”