Are they building a better education these days?
That can be debated, but expenses have gone up because institutions are being required by legislation and market competition to provide more and better facilities, and a whole range of services which weren't included a few decades ago. Also, funding for public institutions at the federal and state level has been reduced an average of nearly 50% (from the mid-60% level in the 60's to the mid-teens percentage recently). It's not meaningful to compare the two because the cost factors in each industry are very different.
That isn't to say that tuition hasn't gone up incredibly, and much more at some schools than others. I think that all the add-ons schools have done over the past 20 years have been important in driving the cost up. Better dorms, more workout facilities, more food options, upgraded student centers....there's a long list. Students won't settle for the same kinds of facilities we did in the 60's and 70's. This is also a reason that many Greek houses are in trouble - they can't afford to update their buildings, create private sleeping rooms (instead of barracks-style dorms), upgrade kitchens, remodel bathrooms so a dozen people aren't sharing them...a long list. I've been in President's foundation and board meetings where these factors have been discussed.
I remember that my first semester at WSU as an undergrad, I wrote a check for $176 tuition for 15 credit hours. I don't recall the fees associated with that. Last year one semester's tuition and fees at the same institution were $5693. I should note that just in the last
four years, the state reduced funding to WSU more than 50%...and they have had to raise tuition by double digit percentages more than once as a result. Still, the increase is mind-blowing.
We got our daughters through college with no debt, but we got a discount for their attending the university where we worked, we had a savings plan with funds ready, and they both worked 20-30+ hours a week every week throughout college. It's REALLY hard to get a kid through college without debt these days.
That's probably more than anyone here wants to know.
