As college tuition continues to rise at a staggering rate, people tend to worry about how much harder it becomes for students and families to pay for college.
In an article in The Conversation online, researchers who focus on higher education said they found a different reason to worry.
“We examined tuition hikes at public four-year colleges and universities over a 14-year period. We wanted to see if tuition increases at public colleges and universities changed the racial and ethnic makeup of students on campus,” according to their study report. “What we found is that for every $1,000 increase in tuition at four-year non-selective public universities, diversity among full-time students decreased by 4.5 percent.”
In other words, as tuition goes up, diversity goes down. The result is the nation’s colleges and universities become less reflective of the ethnic diversity of the United States as a whole.
How long does it take for tuition to rise by $1,000 at a given university? A $1,000 hike could happen over the course of only one or two years in some cases. Over the past decade, tuition and fees rose by $2,690 at public four-year institutions.
The fact that diversity drops when tuition rises at certain colleges and universities is a big deal. For starters, it means that more minorities might choose not to enroll in college and, therefore, forego the economic and social benefits of higher education.
But less diversity doesn’t just affect those who are priced out of higher education. It also affects students who are able to afford college.
