Association that administers the sat exam and advanced placement high school tests. with room and board, the average cost of a year at a public four-year college now is , 354. this was the third year in a row that private college tuition rose at a lower rate. however, private colleges still charge almost four times as much: , 082 for tuition alone, and , 516 with room and board. state appropriations for higher education rose only 2.5 percent in 2004, after a 4.5 percent cut in 2003 and a 1 percent cut in 2002. while college aid is growing, the bulk of financial help for students is now in loans, rather than grants. and with shrinking state resources and a finite number of classroom seats, colleges are becoming more selective about whom they accept. applications to the university system of maryland, which has sustained state budget cuts of more than 11 percent over two years, increased more than 10, 000 over the past decade, but acceptances went up by only half that number, according to the maryland higher education commission. and the average sat score of entering freshmen at university of maryland, college park, has shot up from 1, 081 -- slightly above average -- to a lofty 1, 263. the elite university of california campuses raised their enrollment standards, reducing the number of eligible high school students by more than 6, 000 starting in fall 2005 and poker betting. Treasure island resort & casino - red wing.