"Thirteen thousand dollars. That's the average cost of a year of college for in-state students. Make it more than $32,000 for those attending private schools," the Chicago Tribune reports. "But because of complicated financial aid formulas, what undergraduates really pay for their degree is a much more complex equation. Now Congress is trying to take the mystery out of the forever rising costs of higher education by mandating that colleges provide students and their parents more information about how much the average student pays for school, what kind of tuition help they might be able to secure and which universities offer the best bang for the buck. Congress is also calling for an annual 'blacklist' of schools with the steepest cost increases. Critics wonder whether the measures will provide real financial relief or create extra paperwork for colleges."