Washington, DC, USA. More than half the states cut funding for higher education this year, some by more than 20 percent. The result will be double-digit tuition increases for hundreds of thousands of students and their families.

For a telling example of the money troubles facing public colleges and universities, consider Pennsylvania. On June 30, Governor Tom Corbett signed a state budget that slashes funding for higher education by 19 percent, and school officials smiled with relief.