Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal
Category
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences > Humanities > Education
Received
July 2, 2024
Accepted
October 5, 2024
Published
April 1, 2025
Copyright
Articles in Spectra are freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly cited.
Data Availability Statement
The author of this article confirms that all included sources are fully available without restrictions.
Conflicts of Interest
The author declares that no conflicts of interest exist.
Ethical Considerations
Given that this project did not involve human or animal subjects, no IRB or IACUC approval was needed. All research was derived from publicly shared sources.
Abstract
As higher education strives to be more inclusive, escalating tuition costs pose a significant barrier to accessibility. Government efforts to increase federal financial aid aim to mitigate this issue, but according to William Bennett’s hypothesis, such interventions may inadvertently increase college costs. This study investigates Bennett’s Hypothesis with the latest cross-sectional data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Focusing on 2-year and 4-year U.S. public and private nonprofit colleges, the study examines the effects of government and institutional financial aid on the cost of attendance. The analysis is structured around financial aid packaging institutional, charging variances, and financial aid determinants that provide evidence supporting Bennett’s Hypothesis, revealing a correlation between financial aid and rising tuition costs across different types of institutions.
Keywords
Bennett’s Hypothesis, Tuition, Financial Aid, Federal Financial Aid, Institutional Grant, Higher Education
Submission Type
Primary research article
Recommended Citation
Farol, M. J. (2025). Revisiting Bennett’s Hypothesis: The Unintended Effects of Student Financial Aid on the Cost of College. Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal, 4(1), 33-43.https://doi.org/10.9741/2766-7227.1033