Iowa State’s Office of Financial Aid is taking steps to ensure incoming students have a realistic idea of the cost of attending college, an official said.

This is because a study released earlier this month by the National Center for Education Statistics, which analyzes educational data for the federal government, found families often overestimate the cost of college tuition at four-year public universities.

The study also revealed that failure of families to research the cost of higher education may discourage some students from attending college.

Roberta Johnson, associate director of financial aid, said she isn’t surprised by the findings of the study.

“We haven’t done similar research to replicate the study’s results, but we do often find that families are often times very insecure and think [college] is more than it really is,” Johnson said.

The National Center for Education Statistics based its findings on a 1999 survey of 7,900 students and parents by the National Household Education Surveys Program, which provides statistical data on education to researchers and policy-makers.

Asked to estimate the annual tuition at a four-year public college, students’ and parents’ answers typically ranged from $5,400 to $5,800. In reality, the average tuition for in-state undergraduates for one year at public institutions in 1998-99 was about $3,200.

The report found sixth- to twelfth-grade students and their parents became more aware of higher education costs as high school graduation drew near.

Even so, the study revealed only 52 percent of eleventh- and twelfth-graders had obtained college cost information, while only 54 percent of parents reported looking into the price of college for their children.

Among the parents of college-bound students, 59 percent of the parents of ninth- and tenth-graders and 63 percent of the parents of eleventh- and twelfth-graders reported setting money aside for college.

Many college-bound high school students considering Iowa State will access information from the ISU financial aid Web site, Johnson said.

Johnson said officers from the student financial aid office attend “Experience Iowa State,” a program catered to incoming students to familiarize them with the university and student life.

Jennifer Lunz, freshman in political science, said receiving financial aid was a key reason she was able to attend Iowa State.

“Without financial aid, I would probably be working because I wouldn’t be able to afford college,” Lunz said. Lunz said while in high school, she did a lot of college cost research on Web sites.

Johnson said it’s important for people to realize that financially, college is a possibility for all who wish to attend.

“We need to make sure we continue to bang the drum that college is affordable and financial aid is available,” she said.

“For those who attend college, the lifetime earning potential is so much greater.”

—The Associated Press contributed to this article.