Witnesses at a Congressional hearing on Thursday presented possible solutions to the problem of the rising cost of a higher education, but members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce kept returning to a controversial proposal by its chairman that would punish colleges for raising tuition beyond a certain point.

"There are some here in government and out in academia who will say that the federal government should not get involved in higher education," Rep. McKeon said at the hearing. "They say, We're doing a great job, and should do nothing but send more money."

The hearing was part of the committee's effort to draft legislation to renew the Higher Education Act, the law that governs most federal student-aid programs.

After Democrats on the committee raised a series of objections, Mr. McKeon said that the focus should not be only on his proposal, which has not yet been formally introduced as legislation.

Minutes later, critics alleged that the proposal would lead to decreases in need-based financial aid and to cost-cutting measures by colleges that would reduce the quality of education.

Experts on a panel selected by the committee to testify seemed divided on the proposal, voicing at best only cautious approval.

"It would hurt those students the proposal is designed to protect," said Sandy Baum, a professor of economics at Skidmore College. She added that tuition had increased much faster, relative to average income, for the neediest students.

"Twice the rate of inflation is pretty low right now," she said, noting that the annual rate of inflation is hovering at about 2 percent. If colleges increase tuition by 4 percent, a relatively low amount, they would be penalized under the proposal, she said.

Scott Ross, executive director of the Florida Student Association, said colleges should be penalized for increasing tuition. When Rep. Dale E. Kildee, a Michigan Democrat, questioned the negative impact such a policy could have on colleges in tight budget times, Mr. Ross said, "Students won't attend those colleges anyway" because of their high costs.

Other members of the panel focused on cost-cutting strategies for colleges, like using computer programs to replace traditional classroom exercises and coordinating with other colleges to save money on things like health insurance.

Republicans and Democrats on the committee praised Patrick T. Kirby, dean of enrollment services at Westminster College, in Missouri, for simultaneously increasing enrollment and decreasing costs. The college cut tuition by 20 percent, hoping a rise in enrollment would offset any fall in revenue. It more than did, Mr. Kirby said, and the college will have a record enrollment of 820 students this fall. He said private colleges should use that strategy to "absorb students" from overburdened public institutions.

Many Democrats proposed, as an alternative to Representative McKeon's plan, an increase in funds for Pell Grants. But they conceded that such a move is unlikely, given the federal budget deficit.