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Is there any data showing that the cost of college is increasing? I know the price (i.e. tuition) is increasing, but this is due to colleges increasing tuition

by mrxd 13y ago

Is there any data showing that the cost of college is increasing? I know the price (i.e. tuition) is increasing, but this is due to colleges increasing tuition rates to make up for shortfalls as state budgets for higher education are cut. But I haven't seen any data showing that the costs have risen. It's also worth noting that the #2 suggestion is mostly just an accounting trick that would increase the price to students, not decrease it. If "perks" like room and board aren't provided out of tuition, students will have to pay for that somehow anyway - they're necessities, not perks. And removing state subsidies for those things means that students will be paying even more, if you add up tuition + room + board.

lelandbatey 13y ago
I've got absolutely no data to support this, so make no mistake that this is anything other than the wildest speculation: The feeling that's "in the air" is that what's really happened is buildup of too much management in the school systems. There seem to be far more "managers" per professor than there were before, and those managers are being paid far to much, especially in comparison to the professors doing the actual teaching. It's pretty classic: most large-ish universities have marketing departments (or hire marketing departments), large non-educational functions and services that take up tremendous man power, overly large "cultural" aspects like sports, and many more. The cost of educating hasn't really changed, but that's not what most universities are focused on doing anymore.
- mrxd 13y ago
  This article[1] from the WSJ shows that administration varies between 3-10% of education spending. So probably not a significant driver. [1]:http://graphics.wsj.com/documents/NONCLASS1212/ http://graphics.wsj.com/documents/NONCLASS1212/ Unless there is data showing otherwise, I would argue that costs haven't changed, only the price. The cost of providing education in 2013 at University of Washington is a little less than it was in 1990: $16,800 vs. $17,000. The difference is that in 1990, the state paid for 82%, where today it pays 29%.[2] That's where your tuition increases are coming from. [2]:http://www.washington.edu/discover/budget/ http://www.washington.edu/discover/budget/

by mrxd 13y ago

lelandbatey 13y ago

I've got absolutely no data to support this, so make no mistake that this is anything other than the wildest speculation: The feeling that's "in the air" is that what's really happened is buildup of too much management in the school systems. There seem to be far more "managers" per professor than there were before, and those managers are being paid far to much, especially in comparison to the professors doing the actual teaching. It's pretty classic: most large-ish universities have marketing departments (or hire marketing departments), large non-educational functions and services that take up tremendous man power, overly large "cultural" aspects like sports, and many more. The cost of educating hasn't really changed, but that's not what most universities are focused on doing anymore.

mrxd 13y ago
This article[1] from the WSJ shows that administration varies between 3-10% of education spending. So probably not a significant driver. [1]:http://graphics.wsj.com/documents/NONCLASS1212/ http://graphics.wsj.com/documents/NONCLASS1212/ Unless there is data showing otherwise, I would argue that costs haven't changed, only the price. The cost of providing education in 2013 at University of Washington is a little less than it was in 1990: $16,800 vs. $17,000. The difference is that in 1990, the state paid for 82%, where today it pays 29%.[2] That's where your tuition increases are coming from. [2]:http://www.washington.edu/discover/budget/ http://www.washington.edu/discover/budget/