AN ANALYSIS OF ENROLLMENTS AND STATE APPROPRIATIONS IN PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION.

Abstract

The relationship between FTE enrollments and state appropriations to public four-year colleges and universities is a fundamental issue basic to numerous institutional and state policy decisions. Yet, the relationship is obscure and may have changed during the period from 1965 to 1982. Data for this dissertation were obtained from three sources. Enrollment data were obtained from the Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) information as edited and entered onto computer data tape by the Center for the study of Higher Education (CSHE) at the University of Arizona. Appropriations data were obtained from the annual issues of M. M. Chambers' Appropriations of State Tax Funds for Operating Expenses of Higher Education as edited and entered onto computer data tapes at the CSHE. Variations in the reporting of these sources were obtained through a mail survey instrument. Appropriations data were adjusted for inflation using the national and regional Consumer Price Indices (CPI). The appropriations data were corrected so that all states are reported consistently for (1) tuition, (2) employee benefits, and (3) capital equipment. The edited enrollment and the corrected appropriations data were then regressed for two time periods (1965-77 and 1977-82). The results determined the nature of change in the enrollment/appropriation relationship over time. The results show that there does appear to be a relationship between enrollments and appropriations which is stronger for certain types of institutions. Nationally, the relationship in mean constant dollar appropriations per FTE enrollments has not undergone any radical changes. However, the slopes of the regression lines have undergone statistically significant changes from period 1 (1965-66 to 1976-77) to period 2 (1977-78 to 1982-83). Yet the regression coefficients did not decline in a major way over time for the national sample, for institutions by Carnegie Classification System or by state. Wide ranges of difference were found to exist among states. However, a considerable majority of 35 states and most Carnegie classification institutions did not demonstrate a significant change in the amount of constant dollar or adjusted funding per FTE student over time.