30 
A Study of Student Loans and 
The Increasing Cost to the Student 
The income from students has been mounting gradually, but only 
in absolute figures. Income from Fees and Tuition 
Year 
Total Income 
Absolute Amount 
Per Cent, of 
Total Income 
1875 
$7,960,569 
$2,136,062 
26.8 
1880 
7,980,128 
1,881,350 
23.5 
1885 
12,253,158 
2,270,518 
18.5 
1890 
16,808,734 
3,764,984 
22.4 
1895 
22,134,601 
6,336,655 
28.6 
1900 
31,676,572 
8,375,793 
26.4 
1905 
45,715,927 
10,919,378 
23.8 
1910 
80,438,987 
19,220,297 
23.9 
1915 
118,299,296 
34,067,238 
28.8 
1920 
240,141,994 
65,604,128 
36.9 
1922 
319,592,549 
64,296,212 
20.1 
1925 (estimate) 
435,000,000 
100,000,000 
22.9 
However, the per cent. which the income from fees and tuition is of the 
total income of higher education has remained relatively constant until 
1920, with a sudden drop in 1922 to 20.1, the lowest since 1885. The 
per cent. which Student fees and tuition is of the total income, based 
on the estimated figures for 1925, is 22.9. 22 From the individual 
student’s standpoint he is paying approximately the same propor- 
tion of the cost of his education as he was in 1900. A comparison of 
1900 with 1922 shows the Situation to be about as follows: the average 
fees and tuition have doubled; the total income has increased nine times ; 
the income from students has multiplied itself eight times; enrollments 
have increased five times and the cost of living has just about doubled. 
This means that the Student has been paying a slightly decreasing pro- 
portion of the cost of his education since 1900. It is a matter of common 
knowledge that it costs more to attend College now than formerly. But 
these higher costs are not due to larger fees and tuition, for when 
the expenses of a Student are analyzed, it is evident that the increas 
ing costs have been more rapid in other items such as board, room, 
clothing, and social expenses than they have in purely educational ex 
penses. The Standard of living in the university community has mounted 
very rapidly and if it is possible for the Student to meet the demand of 
the rising costs of necessities together with a higher Standard of living, 
he ought to be able to meet a larger share of the cost of his education. 
21 Based on data taken from Sears, Op. Cit., pp. 55-61, up to 1915 and after_ 1915 from 
U. S. Bureau of Education Bulletins on “Statistics of Universities, Colleges and Professional 
Schools” for respective years. 
32 Since these estimates were made and presented to the Association of University and 
College Business Officers of the Eastern States, December, 1925, at Pinehurst, N. C., the U. S. 
Bureau of Education has given out its figures which are: Total Income $387,694,609 and Income 
from Students $81,168,998 which is 20.9 per cent of the Total Income. This is only .8 per cent 
higher than 1921-22 and is still lower than any other year since 1885. These, however, do not 
necessarily invalidate the estimated figures, inasmuch as the figures of the U. S. Bureau of Educa 
tion represent only those institutions reporting and do not include some of the larger institutions, 
many of which are privately controlled and thus receive considerable income from fees and 
tuition.