The 14 four-year universities within Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education have been a pivotal engine of upward mobility for working families in Pennsylvania for decades. Today, the role of these schools in making the American Dream a reality for a hundred thousand Pennsylvanians each generation is threatened. Deep cuts in state funding coupled with living expenses on campus that have risen faster than tuition are threatening to put State System schools beyond the financial reach of many moderate-income families. This briefing paper presents the facts on the costs of attending State System schools over time, on the state policy decisions that drive cost trends, and on the impact of costs on enrollment, especially of children from working families. Main findings include: (1) Pennsylvania woefully underfunds higher education, ranking 47 th out of 50 states for funding per capita from the state, with funding levels per capita one third to one fifth of the levels in several other energy-rich states; (2) From an already inadequate starting point, funding for all Pennsylvania higher education and the State System were cut deeply in and after the Great Recession; (3) As state funding has plunged, tuition has increased, forcing families and students to pick up the slack. Tuition and fees now account for nearly three quarters (73%) of educational costs at State System schools compared to half that level (37%) in 1983-84; (4) Total costs adjusted for inflation have risen faster for on-campus students because of large increases in the cost of room and board; (5) As costs have risen, they have begun to impact enrollment in two ways; and (6) Recent enrollment trends among working families validate the warnings of a consultant (Maguire) to the State System in 2011 that further increases in total costs of a few thousand dollars could sharply reduce the share of admitted students who end up enrolling in State System schools.