Here the instructional costs have increased at the inflation rate. The state support has dropped from 50% of our budget to 6%. Who picks it up? Whoever pays tuition. And guess what- 50% => 6% accounts for what?? - increasing tuition at x inflation rate.

Beyond that what I see are
1. big state schools with lots of land like over building. [I'm not at one of these so I dont follow the details]. similarly college sports costs are [I suspect] much higher than reported as many coahes are paid out of instructional budgets and many facilties are similarly subsidized.
2. schools in cities without land like renovating dorms. students today expect private rooms. If rooms go from double to single room&board costs rise. Half of college costs are room and board [which is why students should commute]
3. the # administrators per student has doubled here over 10 years and they tend t be higher paid. This as to impact costs negatively.
4. over my 30 years, there has been a big shift from liberal arts to professional and preprofessonal programs as majors. it just costs more educate a chem E than an english major. I think the trend is good [and should continue] but there it is and labs are expensive.

while its politically correct to vilify those darn liberal colleges, costs to students are a real problem and its important to get the facts straight to contribute to the discussion,

Tuition costs have to be contained somehow. But given the real dynamics, it will end up being done by means that will have some negative features, like more art time instructors for the first year or even 2 years and eliminating program choices and cancelling classes that have under a set # of students[this cases some students to take longer to finish].

Bill