When the College Board released its annual cost survey showing that private school tuitions would rise an average of 9% this fall, Kellie Kenner raced for her calculator. Since the 20-year-old junior entered Emory University two years ago, her total bill, including tuition, has jumped from $13,900 to $16,100, an increase of almost 16%. Despite a patchwork quilt of aid that includes scholarships, loans and an on-campus job, Kenner's father, a train conductor, must now pay $6,000 out of pocket to send his daughter to school this year -- $2,000 more than in 1987. To help make ends meet, her mother...

