Question:
How much do colleges and universities spend on students?
Response:
Trend data show small increases in the current-fund expenditures per student at public 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities in the late 1980s and larger increases during the 1990s. After an adjustment for inflation at colleges and universities, current-fund expenditures per student at public colleges rose about 5 percent between 1985� and 1990�, and another 28 percent between 1990� and 2000�.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Digest of Education Statistics, 2005 (NCES 2006�0), Chapter 3.
Current-fund expenditures per full-time equivalent student in degree-granting institutions, by type and control of institution: Selected years, 1970-71 to 2000-01 [In constant 2004-05 dollars] |
Control of institution and year |
All institutions |
4-year institutions |
2-year institutions |
All institutions |
1970-71 |
$16,741 |
$19,740 |
$11,227 |
1975-76 |
15,858 |
19,807 |
17,600 |
1980-81 |
16,072 |
20,055 |
18,173 |
1985-86 |
19,212 |
23,946 |
21,096 |
1990-91 |
20,946 |
26,417 |
25,041 |
1995-96 |
22,867 |
28,879 |
29,184 |
Public institutions |
1970-71 |
14,610 |
17,945 |
10,120 |
1975-76 |
13,876 |
18,228 |
16,564 |
1980-81 |
14,086 |
18,454 |
16,823 |
1985-86 |
16,696 |
21,683 |
19,395 |
1990-91 |
17,606 |
23,169 |
23,245 |
1995-96 |
19,131 |
25,534 |
26,824 |
1999-2000 |
21,506 |
28,597 |
31,079 |
2000-01 |
22,559 |
30,625 |
32,589 |
Private institutions |
1970-71 |
22,656 |
23,452 |
1,108 |
1975-76 |
22,461 |
23,281 |
1,037 |
1980-81 |
22,135 |
23,380 |
1,350 |
1985-86 |
26,584 |
28,615 |
1,702 |
1990-91 |
31,354 |
33,327 |
1,796 |
1995-96 |
34,079 |
35,466 |
2,360 |
NOTE: Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Digest of Education Statistics,
2005 (NCES 2006-030), Table 339.
Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 340. Current-fund expenditures and educational and general expenditures of degree-granting institutions, by purpose and per student: Selected years, 1929-30 through 1995-96
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 341. Current-fund expenditures of public degree-granting institutions, by purpose and type of institution: 2000-01
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 342. Current-fund expenditures of public degree-granting institutions, by purpose: Selected years, 1980-81 through 2000-01
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 343. Current-fund expenditures of public degree-granting institutions, by state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1980-81 through 2000-01
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 344. Educational and general expenditures of public degree-granting institutions, by state or jurisdiction: Selected years, 1980-81 through 2000-01
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 345. Voluntary support for degree-granting institutions, by source and purpose of support: Selected years, 1959-60 through 2003-04
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 346. Total expenditures of private not-for-profit degree-granting institutions, by purpose and type of institution: 1996-97 through 2002-03
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 347. Total expenditures of private not-for-profit degree-granting institutions, by purpose and type of institution: 2002-03
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 348. Total expenditures of private for-profit degree-granting institutions, by purpose and type of institution: 2001-02 and 2002-03
- 2006, Digest of Education Statistics 2005, Table 349. Total expenditures of private not-for-profit and for-profit degree-granting institutions, by level and state or jurisdiction: 1996-97 through 2002-03
Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)
- 2006, Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2004; Graduation Rates, 1998 & 2001 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2004
- 2005, Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2003; Graduation Rates 1997 & 2000 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2003
- 2004, Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2002 and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2002
- 2004, Federal Support for Education: Fiscal Years 1980 to 2003
- 2003, A Study of Higher Education Instructional Expenditures: The Delaware Study of Instructional Costs and Productivity
- 2003, Congressionally Mandated Studies of College Costs and Prices
- 2003, What Colleges Contribute: Institutional Aid to Full-Time Undergraduates Attending 4-Year Colleges and Universities