Higher Education Finance News

The Increasing Demand for Costing Data

In the context of demands for increased enrollment, decreased state support, and rising costs, “colleges are going to have to lower what they spend to produce the average credential they award,” writes Doug Lederman, author of a May 19 Inside Higher Ed article titled, What Does a Degree Cost? But many institutions are not able to answer that question according to the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity, and Accountability.

According to a report by the Delta Project the answer varies: institution type, program, degree level, and other factors affect costs. “You frame the question one way if you are only interested in students who graduate, and another way if you want to know the cost for people who go to college and don’t complete,” the report author says. “The point is, this is not just a data question. It’s a question of what it is that we want from our colleges and universities.”

Without knowledge of the varying costs of different courses, programs and degrees, higher education administrators will be unable to meet present challenges. ACCORD’s range of unique services can help higher education institutions adapt to the demands for increased access and reduced cost, while sustaining institutional mission.