The Washington Post

Why College Costs Soared As More Students Enrolled - Opinion Piece

October 17, 2018

John Thelin writes: Another fundamental element of the college experience was different in the 1960s as well. Costs were low because what colleges offered to students — and how many students they offered it to — was far more limited. Even with the decade’s admissions expansion, state universities such as the University of Massachusetts and Rutgers in New Jersey each only had a total enrollment of about 6,000. And colleges spent little on students. They handled expanding enrollments by increasing the size of lecture classes or other expedient measures like adding bunk beds to double the capacity of dorm rooms. They offered little in the way of advising, career placement, activities outside the classroom, recreational facilities and mental-health services.

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