Page 31 - Crisis in Higher Education

6 • Crisis in Higher Education

grant institutions—Cornell, Pennsylvania State, and Mississippi
State are three examples. The Morrill Act of 1890 provided additional
funding and resulted in the establishment of land grant colleges for
black Americans, giving rise to institutions like Florida A&M and
Tuskegee University. A 1994 Act of Congress conferred land grant
status for Native American colleges that were part of the American
Indian Higher Education Consortium. 8
4. Community college: This designation covers two-year (mostly public)
institutions that grant certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees.
After completing an associate degree, graduates can transfer to a four-
year college or university to complete their undergraduate degree.
Community college tuition is typically much lower than tuition at a
university or a traditional liberal arts college. States often have more
community colleges than public universities, and they tend to locate
the former in or near population center, providing students easy
access to the first two years of post–high school education. As a result,
students can commute to campus daily, so community colleges may
not have campus housing or may have only a limited supply.
5. Technical college: This is also a two-year (mostly public) institution
that grants certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees. It is similar
in structure to community colleges, but its programs focus on spe-
cific, job-related subjects such as information technology, legal assis-
tant, or industrial engineering technology. Usually, graduates seek
jobs in their chosen fields rather than pursue a bachelor’s degree.
It is common to combine the offerings of a community college and
a technical college to create one entity, which is typically labeled a
community and technical college.

As shown in Table 1.1, there are big cost differences among these institu-
tions. For 2015–2016, the average total cost for public, two-year, in-state
community and technical colleges was $16,833 per year for a full-time
student. Low tuition was the key to low costs. This cost would have been
reduced by almost half if students were able to live with their parents or
other responsible adults and avoid the cost of room and board. Students
who attended public, four-year, in-state colleges and universities and
stayed on campus paid $24,061 per year on average. This cost would have
been reduced by more than $10,000 if students lived with their parents
or someone else who supported them. For out-of-state students at public
universities, the cost jumped to $38,544 per year, and the entire difference