ANN ARBOR, Mich. - College tuition hikes have outpaced inflation by a large margin for the past two decades, but there is disagreement over why universities keep charging more, according to a report at AnnArbor.com that focuses primarily on the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.
Edward St. John, an author who has written about higher education policy, told AnnArbor.com that conservative, anti-tax voting has led to relatively less public funding for universities and forced them to rely more on tuition.
But a researcher with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity said that universities charge higher tuition because they want to maintain and even expand their programming to attract students, AnnArbor.com reported.
Another analyst with the Center said that the easy credit that the federal government offers to students in the form of loans is another reason why universities find it easy to hike tuition rates.
Meanwhile, representatives of the universities told AnnArbor.com that they have taken significant measures to rein in costs.
SOURCE:
AnnArbor.com, "Tuition
rates significantly outpace inflation at University of Michigan, Eastern
Michigan University," June 13, 2010
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "Do You Need Government Money to Attend
College?" April 26, 2010
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