Republicans hit college students twice in May

This month, Republicans in Jackson and Washington appear to be working together to make college less affordable for Mississippi students.

In the budget signed by Governor Bryant this week, Mississippi's Institutions of Higher Learning will be receiving $2,400 less per student than they did a decade ago.  The Republican budget also moves over $6 million from Mississippi's Universities and Colleges to pay for the state's portion of the Ayers settlement agreement.  These factors played no small part in the college tuition increases approved by the college board earlier this month.

At the same time college tuition is on the rise in Mississippi, Republicans on Capitol Hill are advancing separate proposals that would allow Stafford loan rates to double from 3.4% to 6.8%. 

This is bad news for college students and makes it less likely that Mississippi will be improving these numbers anytime soon.