While it is true that tuition rates have a tendency to rise annually with the changes in the economy, the presence of general inflation and with trends of growth. It is when the tuition rates are actually indicative of the inverse trend that we begin to see the troubling consequences in our graduation rates. Quite to the point, we are at a phase in history where economic growth is stagnant, decreasing the abilities of individuals and families to foot the existing bills for higher education. As rates raise in the midst of this situation, the cost of higher education becomes yet more prohibitive. The price hikes that Trombley reports are categorically daunting in some states. As the Trombley article tells, "tuition and mandatory fee charges at four-year public institutions rose in every state, startlingly so in some cases. In Massachusetts, for instance, tuition jumped from $3,295 to $4,075, an increase of 24%, largest in the nation. Iowa, Missouri and Texas increased tuition and required fees by 20%, North Carolina by 19%, Ohio by 17%. Sixteen states increased tuition and fees by more than 10%." (Trombley, 1)
When prosperity has been either stagnant or on the decline, these increases are nothing short of catastrophic for many families and would-be students. The result is a circumstance which requires creative thinking and ingenuity for resolution. So denote DeMoranville & O'Donnell (2001), who investigate the correlation between a sliding tuition scale and graduation rates. Their research finds...
Their article tells that "the results indicate that a sliding tuition rate scale does not increase four-year graduation rates. The authors suggest that emphasizing value may make tuition increases more palatable." (DeMoranville & O'Donnell, 39)
This emphasis on value is merely a suggestion though, and comes with no empirical validation. Indeed, it is a highly speculative suggestion that reveals our present reality. Without the improvement of public funding for universities, the brunt of our recession is taken by the students and their families. If this seems appropriate from the perspective of the governments and universities responsible for our current situation, the coming years of economic and academic decline will expose this as a problematic view. Indeed, the only way to resolve the problems concerning enrollment and graduation is to return to a public philosophy of funding and support for higher education accessibility.
Works Cited:
DeMoranville, C. & O'Donnell, P. "Price Elasticity of Per-Credit-Hour Tuition Charges and the Effects on Four-Year Graduation Rates." Journal of Marketing for Higher
Education 11(4) 2001: 29-49. web.ebscohost.com 19 Oct. 2009 Web.
Trombley, W. "The Rising Price of Higher Education." The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. Winter 2003. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher…
