Evil?

It would be interesting to see how the tuition charged compares to the _average_ annual salaries of staff (and of librarians, if they do not have faculty status). Some of these places may consider working there as its own reward.

Before my child would select any of these schools, I'd ask the following questions;

1.What is the percentage of graduating seniors landing jobs last year and a average for the past five years? For this type of education investment, what is my return...

2. What is the average staring salary for you graduates who receive jobs?

3. Provide me a list of companies that recruit on your campus and have hired graduating students within the last five years.

4. Based on the field of study, I'd want to know how many professors that teach at these colleges, have actually worked in their field outside of education... Today's economy, job marketplace, you need connections, not educators...

Bottom line, with these rising cost, we need to hold colleges accountable... At this point a college education looks as good as my 401K last year...

Why shouldn't the colleges charge such rates when there are so many willing to pay? I don't see parents, or prospective students for that matter, marching in the streets....

When you consider average discount rates are typically above 30%, very few of the students at the institutions are really paying more than $50,000. Think of this more as the sticker price, only you are hypothetically negotiating for a Lexus versus a Hyundai.

Three interesting points: (1) 80% of the colleges and universities on this list are in the northeast or mid-atlantic states. How much longer do these regions think they can be competitive if their pricing is out of line with the rest of the country? (2) there is little discussion of discounting of tuition, etc. through financial grants in aid (i.e., not loans, but actual reductions in cost) -- and more importantly what happens to the "full pays" who get left holding the bag for this. (3) Columbia and Dartmouth are the only Ivy League schools on the list -- any reason why the others (and other big-name privates such as Stanford -- don't appear on this list?

Another successful step in pricing private colleges out of the reach of have-nots. But that's their business - NO ONE needs to go to a private institution. Of course, we're doing the same thing with public colleges and universities with constant tuition increases. Every year, the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is increasing. Within a few years, no one except the upper income strata will be able to afford college. Society is no longer willing to support public education about the K-12 level, and "affordable" college now means that students can get loans to graduate with $30,000 in debt!!

With an ever increasing demand that institutions provide quality student health care, nice sports/work-out areas (with the latest equipment), movie theatres, and quality dining, all on campus, is it any wonder why costs are skyrocketing? The costs to build and staff such facilities only add to the ticket price, even if students don't take advantage of these services. When colleges and universities market themselves as little "country clubs" in order to attract students - and the public buys into the idea that these institutions should provide every service imaginable - there should be no surprise that the costs are going to be higher. TANSTAAFL...

California may be sinking into the Pacific, but community college is only $26 per credit.

Most of these colleges provide generous financial aid packages for the "have-nots."