Every year, Penn students and their families face rising tuition costs and high-interest loans.
But don't expect either presidential candidate to make those issues a campaign focus anytime soon.
Both Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama have addressed higher education reforms in the context of the broader economy, but rarely bring up education in their stump speeches or during debates.
"Candidates have done polling, and people are looking at the economy and foreign policy as their top concerns," said Don Kettl, a Penn Political Science professor.
"The affordability of college is just not an issue that reaches the top," he said.
In an e-mail from Zach Friend, an Obama spokesman, the campaign points out that "making higher education affordable is key" in a "global economy."
The McCain campaign did not return calls for comment, but his campaign Web site also touts international competition and outsourcing as reasons a better-educated workforce is important.
"Higher education is never talked about independently," said College junior Lauren Burdette, president of Penn Democrats, who said she wasn't surprised that education takes a back seat to other issues.
College Republicans president Zac Byer, also a College junior, agreed.
"An issues-based campaign is a death sentence," he said, acknowledging that most voters pay more attention to politicians' personal matters than policy proposals.
Though national polls show a tight race between Obama and McCain, college students are not a swing group, with students overwhelmingly favoring Obama in polls.
Burdette added that candidates likely won't focus on higher education unless students start voting in larger numbers.
The last time higher education was a focus in a presidential campaign was during the 1960s in the midst of the space race, Kettl said.
Both campaigns agree that applying for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid should be easier, with Obama proposing a simple "check" on tax forms to automatically apply and McCain favoring a consolidation of existing programs.
The two candidates differ, however, on the role government should play in reducing education costs.
McCain favors reducing pork-barrel spending, or federally funded projects congressmen allocate to their districts, to free up government spending on university research, possibly allowing universities to offer aid to more students.
However, McCain has not yet put forth a specific proposal that would help reduce tuition costs for families already applying for financial aid.
Obama's plan focuses on an "American Opportunity Tax Credit" designed to extend up to $4,000 of fully refundable credit to students who complete 100 hours of community service, said Friend.
Both campaigns have also pledged more regulatory oversight for lending agencies.
