Dive Brief:
- A new report from the Delta Cost Project using the latest year of federal data shows the share of tuition that covers educational costs at higher education institutions largely leveled out in 2013.
- Inside Higher Ed reports that has not been true for several years, and since 2008, families have shouldered about 10% more of the total cost of education on average, through tuition, across institution types.
- Community colleges seemed to have a good year — the report notes they increased per-student spending by 5%, compared to public four-year colleges averaging a 2-3% increase, and they saw a slight increase in revenue for the first time since the recession.
Dive Insight:
The increasing reliance on tuition through the difficulties of the recession has made some worry if the same technique is used during the next economic downturn, families will be priced out of college. The increasing burden on students had caused the national student debt level to balloon, getting the attention of consumer advocates and public officials. President Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address, mentioned the need to stem the growth of college costs.
One piece of good news in the midst of this pressure is that states, for the most part, started reinvesting in higher education in 2013, according to the Delta Cost Project report. That reinvestment has continued to be slow, but perceptible in all but a few outlier states.