As high school seniors scramble to finish college applications and anxiously await admission decisions, their parents may be more worried about how they\’re going to pay the bill.

The average annual cost for tuition, room and board, books and personal expenses at a UC campus is about $24,000. Many private colleges are twice as expensive. Tuition has been increasing faster than the rate of inflation and there is concern in the higher education community that only students from the most affluent families will be able to attend private colleges.