Years of tuition hikes have prompted students and their families to ask what, exactly, their money is buying. And while public colleges appear to give them the best value, state funding cuts have driven down the amount they can devote to instruction for each student.
Since the Great Recession, states have slashed an inflation-adjusted $7 billion from their higher ed budgets. In response, colleges have pared back course offerings, cut staff and faculty, and lowered the amount they spend on students.
