YOUR TAXES : PART THREE: INVESTING, SAVING, SPENDING : College costs keep rising

College costs have climbed significantly during the past decade. This year, the average fees charged by private four-year colleges for tuition, room and board total $8,700, compared to about $5,000 in 1977. The average cost of education at a public four-year college this year is $3,960, according to the College Board.

Stanford University says it will charge students $11,800 in tuition and $4,955 for room and board for the 1987-88 school year, up from this year’s $11,208 and $4,700. UCLA students pay $1,295 for tuition and about $3,000 for room and board this year. Next year’s fees haven’t been set, although the University of California Board of Regents has requested a 9.1% increase in tuition.