The cost of college tuition rose 6.6 percent in the past year, according to the College Board's annual report on college costs and pricing trends.

At the University of Washington, the price for undergraduate tuition and fees for three quarters rose more than $1,000 since the 2003-04 academic year, according to the Office of Financial Aid.

The price today for undergraduate tuition and fees is $6,385 for three quarters. At the UW, about half of the students get aid, said Kay Lewis, director of the financial aid office.

"Students receive over $250 million a year," she said.

There are many options available for students looking for tuition help around the University and through other organizations.

There is about $100 billion available from the federal government and about $3 billion in scholarships, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.org, a financial aid Web site.

The rising tuition price puts the biggest burden on low-income students.

"Low-income students fear debt much more than middle-income students," Kantrowitz said.

The UW's Husky Promise is trying to combat this issue by promising low-income students that the inability to pay will not stop them from attending the University.

"We are trying to increase the amount of scholarship dollars available," Lewis said. "We want students to know that financial aid does remain available, not just for low-income students."

The Washington state Guaranteed Education Program, or GET, offers students from any background a guarantee of tuition prices.

"The state of Washington guarantees that if you buy one year of college tuition today (100 GET units), you'll have one year of college tuition when your child is ready for college no matter how much tuition increases in the future," said Whitney DalBalcon, GET associate director of communications.

The Get program is celebrating its10th anniversary this year.

"Families have opened more than 80,400 GET accounts worth more than $1 billion since the program began," DalBalcon said.

The prices of tuition will continue to rise, but what students and families need to worry about is the net cost of tuition.

"It's an inherently expensive enterprise," Kantrowitz said. "The key is to apply for it [financial aid and scholarships]. ... If you don't apply, you can't get aid."

[Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]