Why Colleges Can’t Just Cut Costs: The 4 Things That Actually Lower The Price
Key Points
Real net tuition at public four-year colleges has fallen 48% since 2012-13. The price problem today is housing, fees, and the school you pick, not tuition inflation.
Most "just cut costs" ideas are worth hundreds of dollars a year per student, not thousands. Shutting down athletics is the biggest single line, at roughly $800 to $1,700 a year at a typical non-Power public.
Only four things cut what a degree actually costs: buying less time, starting at a cheaper school and transferring, changing how you take classes, and not paying for campus housing. Families can act on all four…
The skinny
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