Notes and Sources

The recomputed average for 2007-08 tuition and fees at public four-year institutions is $6 higher than the level we reported last year, and the recomputed average for tuition and fees at private institutions is $33 higher. Because of the reclassification described above, the 2007-08 public two-year average tuition and fee level is $67 lower.

Net Price Calculations

The calculations of net price for full-time undergraduate students are a best approximation and are based on the aggregate amounts of each type of aid reported in Trends in Student Aid 2008 and on the allocation of each type of aid across institution types and between part-time and full-time students reported in 1993, 1996, 2000, and 2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) data.

Total charges for public two-year students include an estimate of housing and food expenses for students not living with their parents, based on commuter room and board expenses reported by institutions when available and derived from public four-year room and board charges for earlier years in the decade. The net price estimates reported here are not exactly comparable to those that appeared in 2007 because some figures have been updated.

Institutional Revenues and Expenditures

Figures 8, 9a, and 9b are based on data from the Delta Cost Project. Delta data combine Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data with information from the Financial Institution Shared Assessment Program database beginning in 1994. Further details and the entire database are available at www.deltacostproject.org.

Endowments

Data on endowments are from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), supplemented by data from IPEDS for institutions for which NACUBO data are not available. Public university foundation endowment assets are included.

Inflation Adjustment

The Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) is used to adjust for inflation. We use the CPI-U in July of the year in which the academic year begins. Historical July CPI-U data, as well as the factors used in the constant dollar conversion, are included in Table A2. Constant 2008 dollars can be computed by the following formula: Constant 2008 Dollars = Year A dollars x (2008 CPI / Year A CPI). See ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/cpi/cpiai.txt for additional historical data on the CPI-U.

Carnegie Classification 2005: Basic Classification

“Associate’s colleges” include institutions where all degrees are at the associate level, or where bachelor’s degrees account for less than 10% of all undergraduate degrees; “doctorate-granting universities” include institutions that award at least 20 doctoral degrees per year (excluding doctoral degrees that qualify recipients for entry into professional practice, such as the J.D., M.D., Pharm.D., DPT, etc.); “master’s colleges and universities” include institutions that award at least 50 master’s degrees per year; “baccalaureate colleges” include institutions where baccalaureate degrees represent at least 10% of all undergraduate degrees and that award fewer than 50 master’s degrees or fewer than 20 doctoral degrees per year. All of the categories above exclude “special focus institutions” and “tribal colleges.” For more detailed information, visit www.carnegiefoundation.org.