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Almanac 2012

Almanac 2012: Finance

August 26, 2012
Almanac 2012-Section-Finance

With tax revenues beginning to rebound in most states and endowments on the rebound at many institutions, colleges and universities are growing more hopeful about their financial outlook.

On the whole, college finances have recovered slightly. Yet as the economic recovery has slowed in the past few months, questions remain about the lingering effects of the recession and whether colleges need to be held to a more stringent level of accountability. | Read More »

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With tax revenues beginning to rebound in most states and endowments on the rebound at many institutions, colleges and universities are growing more hopeful about their financial outlook.

On the whole, college finances have recovered slightly. Yet as the economic recovery has slowed in the past few months, questions remain about the lingering effects of the recession and whether colleges need to be held to a more stringent level of accountability. | Read More »

Highlights

123

That’s how many colleges in the United States charged over $50,000 for tuition, fees, room, and board in 2011-12.

$42,224

In the academic year 2011-12, that was the average cost to attend a residential private four-year college.

88.7%

That percentage of students paid less than $15,000 in tuition and fees to attend public four-year colleges in 2011-12.

19.6%

State appropriations provided that share of revenue for public four-year institutions in the 2010 fiscal year, a slightly larger share than came from tuition and fees.

Interactive Tools

  • Endowments

    Endowments on the Rise

    Sort our list to see which institutions are making gains.

  • Federal Support

    Big Spenders on Research

    See what your college spends on federally
    financed work.

  • Fees

    The $50,000 Tuition Club

    Sort our list of the colleges that charge students the most.

The Data

Tuition and Fees

  • Average College Costs

  • Distribution of Students at 4-Year Colleges by Cost

  • Rise in Prices at Public and Private 4-Year Colleges

  • Colleges That Charged $50,000 or More

Fund Raising and Endowments

  • Largest College Endowments

  • Growth Rate in College Endowments

  • Major Private Gifts

  • Distribution of Revenue of Private Nonprofit Colleges

  • Growth in Investments in Alternative Strategies at 348 Endowments

Resources and Spending

  • Colleges’ Revenue and Expenditures

  • Gains in Enrollment and Spending per Student

  • Changes in State Appropriations for Higher Education

  • Attendance Swings in Major College Basketball

  • State Fiscal Support for Higher Education per $1,000 of State Personal Income

  • Changes in Revenue and Enrollment at For-Profit Colleges

Research

  • University Research-and-Development Spending Financed by the Federal Government

  • Universities With the Most Licensing Revenue

  • Federal Spending on Research and Development at Colleges

  • Share of NIH Grants Going to First-Time Applicants

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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