Continuing a recent trend, tuition at private universities rose 5.9 percent this academic year, according to a report released Tuesday by the College Board.

The corporation, which administers a host of national standardized tests including the SAT exam, published its annual report, “Trends in College Pricing,” which showed an average non-profit private university tuition increase of $1,190 from the last academic year. The average total cost of attending a private university rose 5.7 percent to $29,026.

The report also showed that while the average financial aid per student increased by 3 percent over the last year, the percentage of total undergraduate financial aid in the form of government grants declined for the third consecutive year.

Roughly $129 billion was distributed last year in student aid, up $10 billion from the previous year, the report said. Last year students borrowed nearly $14 billion from nonfederal sources to finance their education.

Sandy Baulm, senior policy analyst for The College Board and professor of economics at Skidmore College, said she was not surprised by the results.

“I don’t think anybody thought that the rate of tuition increase would be a lot lower than they were,” she said. “In terms of student aid, we knew that Pell Grant maximums were not going to increase, so it wasn’t all that depressing that loans rose more rapidly that grants.”

Baulm attributed rising tuition rates at private universities to continued increases in energy, technology and utility costs.

“Everybody knows that health insurance premiums are going up, energy costs are going up and technology always has to be updated by institutions,” she said.

Tuition for Georgetown – currently $31,656 annually – and other private schools in the region is significantly higher than the national average, Baulm said. She attributed this to the high cost of construction projects and larger salaries for professors in the northeast and middle states.

“The northeast also has a large amount of very selective schools,” she said. “It’s pretty clear that competition for students is requiring greater amounts of money.”

Baulm added that more must be done to combat rising tuition costs.

“I think institutions are going to have to make more effective efforts to keep their costs down,” she said. “But tuition will continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation. It’s hard to imagine what anyone can do to make that stop happening.”

Last year, Georgetown’s Board of Directors voted to raise undergraduate tuition 6.2 percent to $31,656, bringing the total cost of attending Georgetown for an academic year to approximately $45,850.

University Provost James O’Donnell said that Georgetown’s commitment to meeting the needs of students and faculty drives main campus costs.

“A 6.2 percent tuition increase supports a budget that allows us to make faculty salaries more competitive, to offer financial aid so that Georgetown is accessible to all students, and to provide campus facilities that give our faculty and students the space and opportunity in which to achieve ambitiously,” he said.

University spokeswoman Julie Bataille said that although tuition has increased, Georgetown’s financial aid process will not change.

“At Georgetown, we are committed to our need-blind admissions policy and to meeting the full financial need of all of our undergraduates in order to help them afford to come to Georgetown,” Bataille said.

Julio Rivera (SFS ’09) said the rise in college tuition would be an increased financial burden for his family.

“I don’t have the resources to fully afford this education so I rely on scholarships and student loans,” Riviera said. “If tuition continues to increase, others may shy away from the more prestigious universities to find a more affordable education.”

The Main Campus Planning Committee will make a recommendation about tuition increases later this year. The Board of Directors typically votes on tuition increases during the spring semester.

Baulm said that continued increases in tuition are likely and will become a cause for serious concern.

“It can’t keep going at this rate forever without causing really severe problems,” she said. “But college tuition will continue to rise more rapidly than average prices in the economy just because of the structure of the industry.”