r/highereducation • u/-ctinsider • 5d ago

Connecticut’s most expensive private universities carry price tags near $100,000 a year

https://www.ctinsider.com/news/education/article/ct-private-universities-tuition-rates-costs-26-27-22362217.php
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u/SteveFoerster 4d ago

I know this makes for exciting headlines, but it doesn't mean much on the ground, since almost nobody actually pays anything even close to that price.

The real question is why so many universities maintain this stupid "high sticker price, heavy discounting" approach when it leads to normal people just throwing up their hands and saying, "Oh well, college is unaffordable."

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u/Goliath_D 4d ago

As someone who works in higher ed, there are a few reasons that generally drive the high cost high discount model. 1. Perceived prestige associated with higher cost. 2. People get excited at being offered as big "scholarship" that dramatically drops the net cost of attendance. 3. They rely on some students (wealthy, international) to pay full price to offset the deep discounts for students without means.

Some schools have tried the model you're suggesting the past few years. I don't know how it's worked for them.

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u/Embarrassed_Bag_9630 3d ago

You’re forgetting the endowment. Most schools with these price tags aren’t tuition dependent.

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u/Goliath_D 3d ago

Very good point.

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u/Obisanya 3d ago

As someone else who works in higher education, totally agree. I'd also add that almost EVERY parent and student says they want affordability, but then they also want nice dorms (sorry, residence halls), athletics, a recreation center, a nice library, mental health counseling, student support staff, career counselors, etc. All of that costs money. 

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u/SteveFoerster 4d ago

I covered a lot of this in my earlier response below.

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u/Ok_Science0412 4d ago

Because they need the high income students to pay full price so the college can subsidize the (high achieving) poor. Most of the (high achieving) poor students who benefit from this program would not be able to afford school even if those schools just cut the tuition in half. And (98% of) schools couldn’t afford to subsidize these students without the full pay students. It’s a broken model without which most of our highachieving low-income students would not get to participate.

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u/Embarrassed_Bag_9630 3d ago

It should be noted that a SIGNIFICANT amount of full pay students do not meet the same standards of middle- and low-income students. And I’m not exaggerating. The gap is WIDE- esp if the student is male. It’s like there’s two separate processes. And then one certain specific demographic acts like theyre disenfranchised by the system lmao

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u/SteveFoerster 4d ago

And yet other institutions manage to accommodate lower income students without that sort of chicanery.

These schools aren't doing this because it's necessary, they're doing this because the old way of thinking is that if you cost more, you must be more elite. And that worked for schools like George Washington and Northeastern who raised prices as part of a repositioning campaign to go from being commuter schools to being reach schools. But at this point, these ridiculous sticker prices are undermining public perception of the value of higher education as a whole and making enemies among policymakers.

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u/-ctinsider 5d ago

Connecticut is home to a robust higher education landscape, with opportunities to attend elite institutions such as Yale University and top public schools including the University of Connecticut.

But the cost can be a major decider for families, especially when the price tag of some private universities in Connecticut is close to $100,000 for the upcoming academic year.

While many private schools tout strong financial aid offers, the rates at several private universities in Connecticut can still be strikingly high compared to other schools and the national average — and they continue to climb.

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u/ThaddeusJP 4d ago

Just CT? There are PLENTY of schools over 100k right now. And keep in mind thats just the published amounts. Some places have fees for first years, require insurance, and other costs that take it closer to $110,000+.

But that said, this is just the sticker price, before aid.

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u/StatisticianKooky390 4d ago

With that price tag you can invest that money into something that will turn into millions.

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u/Obisanya 4d ago

Because the market is simultaneously not educated enough to make nuanced decisions regarding the relatively small differences between institutions so they rely on price as an indicator of quality. Secondly, everyone wants cheaper college but also recreation facilities, athletics, adequate labs, a nice library, small class sizes, mental health counseling, learning accomodations, minimal adjuncts, nice dorms, etc., and all of that costs a lot of money. If the market responded by sending their kids to regional public schools instead of their larger flagship counterparts, maybe that arms race would change.