This document provides information on student charges at public 4-year colleges and universities in the United States for the academic year 1996-97. A narrative section of the report discusses: what is included in the cost of college, the most recent cost figures for public institutions, average costs for American Association of State Colleges and Institutions (AASCU) and for National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC), whether state appropriations have kept pace with the cost of education, the economic benefits of higher education, how families meet college costs, the reasons for tuition increases, and what colleges and universities are doing to keep costs down. Five tables provided data that cover student charges for 1995-96 and 1996-97; tuition and fees for resident undergraduate students; and characteristics of full-time undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional students receiving student aid. Six figures illustrate change in average tuition and fees; share of revenue from state appropriations and tuition and fees; state appropriations per full-time equivalent student; median annual income of workers by level of school completed and gender (1994); sources of student aid funds; and changes in the type of student aid awarded. Two appendixes list undergraduate student charges at AASCU and NASULGC institutions. (CH)