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Archive for: College Tuition Costs

Cost of College Tuition


College Tuition Cost, Costs of University Tuition, University Tuition Costs

Students who need five years to graduate because they can’t get into certain classes should only have to pay for four years.

With the cost of college tuition only rising over the years, more and more students are graduating in serious debt. So what  does a school like, say, the University of California, Los Angeles have to say for itself when its students need five years to graduate. And why do they need five years? They need five years because they can’t get into all of the courses they need to take to graduate on time each year. So because they can’t get into all of the courses they need, it can take an extra year (sometimes even more) to graduate.

We find this completely absurd. Just because the college can’t accommodate all of the students it admits, that doesn’t mean the cost of an extra year of tuition should be added onto the bills of matriculating students and their parents. It’s just not right. If it’s really that impossible to accommodate all of these students, the schools shouldn’t admit all of these students. It’s that simple. And they absolutely shouldn’t get more money for making it more difficult for students to get what they’re paying for in four years. The absurdity of the situation!

We encourage schools like UCLA to charge tuition for four years even if it takes five years for students to graduate. It’s not their fault — it’s the university’s fault. The university should have to cover this additional cost rather than the student. It’s the only right thing to do. Have a comment about this controversial subject? Share it with our readers below!

College Tuition Costs


College tuition costs increased by 439% from 1982 to 2007. Meanwhile, family income increased by 147% over that same time span. Does that sound a bit ridiculous? It may, but it’s also true according to a report published a couple of years back by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. So our question is — just how ridiculous is a 439% increase in college tuition costs?

University Tuition Costs, College Costs, University Costs, Tuition Hikes, Ivy League Tuition

College tuition costs are not only rising at a rate higher than inflation. They're rising at a rate higher than just about anything (chart from: "New York Times" / December 3, 2008).

Since November, UCLA has raised its university tuition costs by 17.6% and there may indeed be more tuition hikes in Westwood later this year. And they’re not alone. Read about rising Ivy League tuition costs. And read about how college tuition increases at a rate much higher than inflation.

But how does a 439% increase compare to other sectors? Well, during that same 28 year time frame, medical care costs increased by 250%. The consumer price index increased by just a bit over 100%. In fact, college tuition costs “outpace median family income and the cost of medical care, food and housing,” according to a tuition article in the “New York Times.”

College Tuition


There was an interesting post by Stephen Dubner, author of “Freakonomics” and “SuperFreakonomics,” that questioned why university tuition goes up exponentially seemingly all the time. He questions why university tuition inflation is double the general rate of inflation and seeks to get to the bottom of this mystery. The “Freakonomics” authors rarely have trouble posing a theory as to a causation so to formulate their theory on college tuition hikes, they draw on data discussed by “New York Times” writer Tamar Lewin:

Writes Lewin, “Over the last two decades, colleges and universities doubled their full-time support staff while enrollment increased only 40 percent, according to a new analysis of government data by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, a nonprofit research center. During the same period, the staff of full-time instructors, or equivalent personnel, rose about 50 percent, while the number of managers increased slightly more than 50 percent. The data, based on United States Department of Education filings from more than 2,782 colleges, come from 1987 to 2007, before the current recession prompted many colleges to freeze their hiring.”

University Tuition, College Tuition Costs, University Tuition Costs, College Tuition Hike, University Tuition Hike

College tuition only goes up. But why? You'd be surprised to know a major reason.

And therein lies the theory Stephen Dubner ascribes to: support staff. College tuition goes up and up and up because of the increased need for more and more support staff! And what kinds of support staff? IT. That makes sense. Loan counselors. Ok, that makes sense too if the college tuition keeps rising. Environmental sustainability officers. Hmmm, how many of these folks do colleges employ?

Check out Stephen Dubner’s blog on university tuition and Tamar Lewin’s piece in the “New York Times” on college staff jobs.

And check out our post on Ivy League Tuition Costs.