A college education is too expensive in this relatively poor state. A national higher education report card, in fact, recently awarded the state an "F" in college affordability.

That comes as little surprise. Only last year, a separate survey found that South Carolina ranked No. 8 in the entire nation for the in-state cost of attending a public four-year university. Poor and low-income families must devote 34 percent of their income, even after financial aid, to pay for costs at public four-year colleges, according to the 2008 higher education report card, "Measuring Up 2008," from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

Given South Carolina's low average income relative to the rest of the nation, college tuition should be among the lowest in the nation here, not among the Top 10. Nationwide, in-state tuition for students at four-year public universities will average $6,585 this academic year, according to the College Board. For out-of-state students, the average will be $17,452. By contrast, Clemson's in-state tuition is $10,378 annually. Out-of-state Clemson students will pay $23,400 annually.

Tuition costs may put higher education out of the reach of some South Carolinians from low-income families. Certainly, it's forcing many who do go to college to take on overwhelming debt. Ever-escalating college tuition is in the interest of neither young people nor a state trying to compete in a global economy.

S.C. universities have been forced to raise tuition as state support has declined. Clemson President Jim Barker has said he's concerned that state leaders are no longer committed to the idea that universities contribute not only to individual opportunity but also to the prosperity of the state as a whole.

"I'm concerned that higher education has shifted from being a public good to a private investment," Barker has said.

As a dramatic illustration of that idea, Barker said the state provides only 20 percent to 25 percent of Clemson's budget today, whereas it supported 80 percent of the budget when he was a Clemson student in the late '60s and early '70s.

South Carolina earned other poor grades on the recent report card. The state got a C in benefits it gets from having a highly educated population and a D-minus in participation, which indicates opportunities to enroll in education beyond high school. The study also gave the state a C-plus in preparation and completion, which indicate how well students are prepared for education and training beyond high school and the ability to complete degrees in a timely manner.

The main concern is affordability. The cost of a college education is too high in South Carolina. Affordable higher education is key to the future of the state and its young people. Once the nationwide financial crisis has passed, state leaders must again place a priority on providing sufficient funding for universities, and college officials should strive to hold the line on tuition increases.