Perna, Laura W2023-05-222023-05-222002-01-012015-10-16https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/35132This essay draws upon the final report of the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education (1998), Ehrenberg (2000), and King (1999) to explore (a) the cost of higher education at selective private colleges and universities, (b) public concern about the rising costs of higher education, and (c) the shift in financial aid policy from access to affordability. It also discusses implications for selective private institutions, the broader goals of access and choice, and higher education professionals.Copyright © 2002 Association for the Study of Higher Education. This article first appeared in The Review of Higher Education Volume 25: Number 2 (2002), pp. 225-235. Reprinted with permission by Johns Hopkins University Press.Higher EducationAccessibilityEducationEducation EconomicsHigher EducationSocial and Cultural AnthropologyReview