Ball State University raises room, board 1.6%

MUNCIE -- Ball State University's board of trustees on Friday approved a 1.6 percent increase in room and board rates, which the university reported was the lowest rate increase since 1978.

Despite growing concerns about rising student loan debt and Indiana families' ability to afford the cost of a college education, a subject President Barack Obama addressed on Friday, applications for admission to Ball State next fall are up 14 percent over last year, President Jo Ann Gora told trustees.