According to a survey of 70,000 college-bound high school juniors and seniors, conducted by FastWeb and Maguire Associates, concerns about the U.S. economy have had minimal impact on college enrollment decisions.

While the majority of students surveyed reported that their parents were "highly concerned" about the economy, only about 10% of these students indicated that the economy would have any significant influence on their choice of colleges to attend.

At the same time, however, parental interest in colleges with lower tuitions and in available scholarship opportunities is apparent. According to Richard Avitabile, an educational consultant with Steinbrecher & Partners (Westport, CT), "While decisions on which college to attend will still focus on the best academic fit, parents want to consider colleges of choice that offer lower costs or merit scholarship programs."

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