Ways and Means: Paying For College: "Costs are also rising at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The average costs at a four year public HBCU for in state students is about $3,419 and for out of state students, $8,452. At four year private HBCUs, tuition and fees are $8,747 on average. There are many ways for students to finance their education, including scholarships, student loans, work-study, summer and part-time jobs during college, and Pell Grants. Most college students turn to federal and private loans to foot the bill for their academic studies. College students borrowed over $47 billion in federal loans and $7.5 billion in non-federal loans during the 2002-2003 school year."