WASHINGTON (AP) — As college tuition continues to rise, more students are receiving federal financial help, but state and institutional aid remains largely unchanged.

A study by the National Center for Education Statistics finds that 7 of 10 undergraduate students received some type of financial aid in the 2011-2012 school year, up from 66 percent four years earlier.

Forty-two percent of students received federal grants, up from 28 percent, and 40 percent received federal loans, up 5 percentage points.

Just 15 percent of students received state grants and 20 percent got college or university grants. Those aid levels have remained essentially unchanged since 2007.

The head of the education statistics center, Jack Buckley, says the findings are not surprising, because states have had a tough time recovering from the recession.

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