A recent report by the College Board might be an indicator of how fast the sands of higher education are shifting. The prices that most people actually pay for college, which had remained stable for several years, are on the rise again, as tuition and other cost increases outpace financial aid awards. In its latest annual survey, the College Board reports that after rising swiftly since the 1980s, these "net prices" began to level off in the past decade and actually dropped a little during the recession, before climbing again. Concern is rising that this year's increases in what students really pay at four-year colleges could be a sign of things to come--and might intensify what many already feel about the value proposition of an undergraduate degree. Some suggest colleges will price themselves out of the market as tuition and fees rise a good deal more than the rate of inflation. Others are concerned about the rate of return on the college investment. In considering the return on investment of a college education, existing data suggest that a value gap exists. With most institutions hiking tuition, traditional universities under attack on many fronts, and state and federal support in flux, some observers question the worth of a degree.