To make up the difference, students typically borrow as much as allowed from the federal government but then turn to private student loans. A decade ago, nonfederal loans accounted for about 6 percent of student aid, but last year they amounted to 24 percent.

"College remains a great investment and college expenses have indeed outpaced inflation for a number of years, so it is not new information," said David Feitz, director of the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority.

"Even if the costs are increasing — for the average person — a college education is still the best investment they'll ever make in their entire life, even if they have to go in debt for it."

Saving for college is the best way to face up to the challenge of paying for it, but Feitz recommends going into it with a solid plan to pay back any borrowed expenses.

"Our highest-risk borrower is somebody who drops out of school, even if they had good intentions on going back to finish," he said.

Including room and board for students living on campus, charges for public four-year colleges were $13,589, or 5.9 percent higher than last year. At private four-year schools, average total charges come to $32,307.

However, the percentage of college-goers who pay such large sums is fairly small. Fewer than 10 percent of students even attend colleges with tuition and fees higher than $30,000, according to the College Board, and many of those students receive financial aid. About 56 percent of students at four-year colleges attend schools listing a price under $10,000, and about one-third attend schools charging under $6,000.

"We experience those same increases that other businesses and agencies experience across the board," Covington said.

Dealing with costs of providing health insurance to those employed, as well as the increasing costs of a growing information technology infrastructure, are reasons tuition keeps spiking, she said.

Utah, however, was recently ranked one of the most efficient states in which to obtain post-secondary education.

"I think we do very good for the students," she said. "We're in the student success business, and while we always have room to work and areas to improve on, we definitely offer a great education."

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Contributing: Associated Press

E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com