The affordability of higher education is central to our planning efforts. Often there is confusion between the cost of a university education and its price. The “cost” is the expense we must pay to provide students with courses and a suitable learning environment. “Price” is what a student must pay in tuition and fees to earn his/her degree.
For many institutions of higher education, the price is rising because the costs are rising. The good news is that WSU per-student costs have actually decreased over the last decade when controlled for inflation. In fact, our per-student expenses in adjusted dollars decreased nine percent, from $7,993 in 2002 to $7,255 in 2012.
