Have public colleges grown much more reliant on tuition and fees for funding since the 1980s?
Repeated cuts in state-level funding have left the country's public higher-education institutions much more reliant on tuition and student fees. Between 1980 and 2019, the share of college and university revenue coming from students jumped from 21% to 46%, according to data from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
Cuts made in recessions have rarely been fully restored, leaving students with more costs to cover. Between 1985-86 and 2017-18, the annual cost of attending a four-year public college more than doubled in real terms. Fee increases outpaced those at private institutions (which have remained more than twice as costly in absolute terms).
Meanwhile, the average student debt burden for all graduates—across both public and private institutions—has increased from $3,900 per student in 1980 to $30,000 per student in 2020.
