This report presents findings on the role of tuition in financing higher education and as payment by students and parents. The content is organized into 11 chapters grouped into six parts. Part 1 is an enrollment profile of students who opt to attend college. Topics covered include starting conditions, such as student academic skills, family income, and place of residence; and enrollment (including enrollment of marginally qualified students) and persistence. Part 2 covers the value and cost of college attendance. Data tables illustrate how earnings increase with educational level and the range in student costs (by institution and by state). Part 3 examines changing affordability and institutional finances. Tables record the inflationary history of student charges, trends in public and private tuition affordability, and salary trends in selected occupations. Part 4 is on state policies and practices in pricing public higher education, including data on state differences in the role of tuition. Part 5 is on price and quality: its best college buys looks at the role of tuition at public and private research and doctorate universities, public and private master's universities, and bachelor colleges. Part 6 is on financing college costs, and it details trends in student financial aid, projection of student charges, and saving for college. (Contains 35 references.) (DB)