In the last few decades, college tuition costs have escalated to what some have described as astronomical levels. This has led to a heavier reliance by college students on alternative sources beyond family financing. Such sources have included grants, scholarships, private loans, federal loans...

We review basic facts about higher education finance in the United States and analytical, empirical and policy issues in that realm. Examining trends in higher education finance, we demonstrate growth in the share of revenues provided by government up to about 1980, with a steady decline...

"This book provides a historical explanation for cost escalation in American higher education. It also explains why the wealth--the financial capital--of colleges and universities has grown enormously, even faster, over the same period."