The cost of college may be high and rising, but that hasn’t stopped many students from attending and graduating from college. Specifically black students, the number of African-Americans going to college has increased.

According to a new study by the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, blacks attending institutions of higher education has been on the rise for years despite some being priced out of attending college.

With an improvement in the economy since the 1970’s, more black Americans have better jobs and more access to income. More black students have high school diplomas and have the opportunity to go to college.

But with any study, there is nuance. While more black students are attending college and attaining degrees, there is still room for improvement. The Pell Institute’s study suggests 16 ways to improve access to college for many students as there is still a wide education gap in America.

One way to close the gap is to increase funding for low-income students. As another study notes about the affordability of college for some students, the cost to attend a two-year higher education in some states is out of range for many families.

In Mississippi, the cost is so high to go to a community college that poor families may have to pay up to 50 percent of their income to send a member of their family to college.

Carving out additional funds for students who may have issues paying for college is important, but as many states have cut funding for higher education, that money may not be readily available.

Another controversial measure would be making two-year colleges free as well as allowing students who attending four-year colleges to go for free their first two years.

This means that the price of college has gotten so high that the only way to make it accessible for poor students is to make it free because the market has priced too many students out of gaining a college education.