Costly College Tuition By zdsmith9 Sep 1, 1870 Harvard Tuition was $150 per year According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 1930 College admissions double between 1920 and 1930 According to Best Colleges Online Jun 22, 1934 US Government passes the G.I. Bill According to Best Colleges Online Nov 8, 1965 US Government passes the Higher Education Act According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 1972 Only 49 percent of high school grads attend college According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 1975 Price of tuition begins to increase at a rate above inflation According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 1987 On average, tuition at a public school is $2,700 in today's dollars According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 2005 The default rate on student loans begins to increase According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 2007 George Washington University is the first college to raise tuition to $50,000 According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 2008 Tuition fees increased 439 percent since 1982, the average income only increased by 147 percent According to Best Colleges Online Sep 1, 2011 For the first time ever, colleges took in more tuition than state funding According to Best Colleges Online