<p>Some reasons for ever increasing costs:
1. higher health related costs. More students coming in with existing health issues (both physical and mental); costs related to ADA.
2. higher salaries and benefits associated with aging faculty.This could be reduced by abolishing tenure and hiring younger faculty. Already over 40% of teaching positions are filled with adjuncts.
3. Title IX.
4. Demand for better accommodations: better rooms, better food.
5. More technology. In my days, there was one teacher and a blackboard.
There was one payphone per floor. Nowadays, many classrooms come equipped with equipment for showing powerpoint and videos (including zone free videos); bedrooms now all have phone jacks and internet connections.
6. high tech support staff. </p>
<p>These are only some of the factors leading to increasing costs.</p>