Which U.S. Colleges Spend the Most on Student Support? (Studocu)

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• Ivy League institutions like Yale, Harvard, and MIT top the list, spending over $100K per student on academic support.
• Yale University leads in both categories, investing $225K per student in academic support and $53K in student services.
• A modest but consistent correlation was found between student support spending and graduation rates, particularly among top-tier institutions.

A new report by Studocu highlights the U.S. colleges investing most heavily in academic and student services and explores whether that support is linked to graduation outcomes.

Drawing on the most recent fiscal year data from IPEDS (2023), the study found a positive relationship between support spending and graduation rates, suggesting that per-student spending on departments which directly support student learning and wellbeing improve outcomes.

The analysis covered over 1,000 degree-granting institutions across the United States, each enrolling more than 100 undergraduate students. Financial data was compared against graduation rates to uncover trends in institutional spending.

The findings show that top-tier schools like Yale, Harvard, and MIT spend significantly more per student than the national average:

• National average for academic support: $2,933 per student
• National average for student services: $4,828 per student

Top Institutions on Academic Support per Student

Top Institutions on Student Services per Student

When comparing graduation rates to institutional spending, the study found:

• A 0.259 correlation between academic support spending and graduation rates
• A 0.23 correlation between student services spending and graduation rates

While the correlations indicate a positive relationship between support spending and graduation rates, it's important to note that other factors also play a role.

However, the findings still suggest that well-funded student support services may provide meaningful benefits especially for students who might otherwise might have failed.

 

About Studocu:

StuDocu is a student-to-student knowledge exchange platform where students can share knowledge, college notes, and study guides.

Methodology

Institutions were selected based on the following criteria:

• Enrollment of over 100 undergraduate students
• Offering degree-granting programs
• For multi-campus institutions, the largest campus was used

Institutions were divided into tiers:

• Tier 1: This typically includes Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.), as well as other top-tier highly selective institutions such as Stanford, MIT, and Caltech.
• Tier 2: This category can include strong public universities, well-regarded liberal arts colleges, and other private universities. Examples might include schools like NYU, the University of Michigan.
• Tier 3: These institutions are often regional colleges and universities.

Community colleges and technical colleges were not included in the study.

Spending was calculated per undergraduate student, and graduation rate was used as the primary indicator of academic success.

Sources

Data for this analysis was obtained from the IPEDS, including:

• Graduation rates
• Undergraduate enrolment
• Academic support and student services expenditures

Caveats

• Financial data is current through the 2023 fiscal year * the latest available data
• Institutional reporting standards may vary, between public, private non-profit, and for-profit institutions