This report presents the findings of a commission established by the Missouri State Coordinating Board of Higher Education in response to concerns posed by the rising cost of undergraduate attendance at institutions of higher education. The commission's charge was to review pertinent data and make recommendations to the higher education community on the price of attendance, factors affecting the cost of attendance, the role of financial aid, the state of public information and the need for greater accountability, and the relevant public policy issues. The commission found: there has been a shift in responsibility for the financing of higher education to students and their families, with this burden increasingly being financed through student loans; institutional aspirations and public expectations have a significant impact on cost; Missouri residents have access to a diverse system of public and private higher education institutions that offer a wide range of choices in terms of tuition and fee levels; state-level policymakers and the public have a limited understanding of institutional pricing policies and the reasons for the increasing costs of higher education; and because of various subsidies, no student pays the full cost of college. Charts and tables examine tuition costs and fees, and federal and state financial aid. The final section of the report presents the Commission's recommendations. (Contains 36 references.) (RH)