Carycruz Bueno

Nov 3, 2024 | journals.sagepub.com | Carycruz Bueno |Lindsay Page |Jonathan Smith

IntroductionOver the past three decades, published “sticker” prices of college have increased faster than inflation in all sectors of higher education. For example, from 1991 to 2021, average list tuition and fees to attend a public, 4-year institution increased 158% (from $4,160 to $10,740 annually). Such trends have fueled the perception that the United States is facing a crisis of college affordability (Heinrich, 2017), especially for students not from high-income backgrounds.