Based on available data, college tuition and fees have been rising more rapidly than household income over the past 2 decades. The divergence is particularly pronounced for low-income household and become less pronounced as household income increases. Some research has identified specific factors related to increases in college price. For example, price increases at public 4-year institutions are strongly related to decreases in state appropriations. Given the current budget crisis that is affecting states nationwide, double-digit increases in tuition and fees are slated in some states for the 2003-2004 academic year.

Providing the first rigorous empirical evidence of the impact that various modes of governance have had not only on tuition and fees but on a half-dozen measures of institutional performance, this book will be of serious interest to governors, legislators, public university board members and their staffs, those interested in supporting the traditional goals of public higher education, and of course students and their parents, as well as taxpayers.

The cost of college has skyrocketed in recent years. Even state schools are increasing tuition at rates that rapidly outpace inflation. Drawing on insider advice from college administrators and financial planners, Cut College Costs NOW! shows readers the best ways to manage spending, apply for financial aid, and increase their eligibility for federal, state, and private funding. This comprehensive guide gives advanced planning strategies for structuring finances before college application—as well as tips on how to restructure investments once the college bills start to arrive. Cut College Costs NOW! gives readers the real deal on how to be a savvy college consumer.

College tuition has risen more rapidly than the overall inflation rate for much of the past century. To explain rising college cost, the authors place the higher education industry firmly within the larger economic history of the United States.