A New Model for Containing College Costs: The Lean College

Higher education analysts have increasingly expressed concern about the existence of a higher education bubble in recent years.1 One such analyst, Richard Vedder of the American Enterprise Institute, notes a dire similarity with the 2008 housing bubble. Tuition and the accompanying student debt escalation have not resulted in the promised return on investment that once sustained them. A recent report from the College Board indicates that those cost increases may be slowing.2 This is good news, but no one knows how long the breather will last.