(Washington Post) — American families spent 9 percent less on college in the 2010-11 academic year than in the previous year, reversing a recent trend toward increased college spending, according to a new Sallie Mae study.  Previous surveys from the student loan giant found families spending progressively more on college from the 2008 to 2010 academic years, despite the recession.  Why the sudden shift?  More families began moving to lower-cost schools in 2010-11, the survey said, with a sharply higher share of high-income students choosing community college. There was also a rise in the sheer number of low-income students, some of whom presumably were middle-income students a year earlier, the study said. It also found that middle- and high-income families are spending less out of their own pockets (and bank accounts), and low-income families are spending more.

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