Colleges and Universities have been around for for more than a century. This page will attempt to look at historical tuition and board costs. I will also attempt to examine differences in raises in comparison to other years. Finally, I will look for reasons tuition was raised in previous years in comparison to present. (The above photo is a picture of Washington State University in 1917…back when college was about education and nothing else).
Also worth noting, in 1917, it was called Washington State College and focused primarily on agricultural education. Now it is Washington State University, known for Communication Studies, Business, Engineering and Architecture, as well as Agricultural Studies.
In 1977, college tuition was at $655 per year. While now average tuition is more than $6,000 per year nation wide. That’s more than an 800% increase in just 30 years!
A lot has changed in 90 years! Stadium renovation, Student Recreation Center, Student Union Building. All at the additional expense to students. Tuition alone did not cover the contruction or maintenance of these buildings.
