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  proportion
  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  proportion
  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  increasing ­
  costs  have  been  more  rapid  in  other  items  such  as  board,  room,
clothing,  and  social  expenses  than  they  have  in  purely  educational  expenses. ­
  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  Education ­
  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.