The document summarizes a study examining the impact of cost/benefit perceptions of college on student attitudes and behaviors. It finds that: 1) Both 2-year and 4-year students identified similar types of college costs (tuition, stress, lost time) and benefits (job opportunities, higher wages, social skills). 2) Attitudes towards costs and benefits varied slightly between groups, with those paying less tuition having more positive cost attitudes. 3) Statistical analysis found no significant differences in cost or benefit attitudes based on gender or year in school. Students paying less tuition also did not have more positive cost attitudes or try harder.

1. COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF COLLEGE:
THE IMPACT ON STUDENT ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS
*Olivia Hazel, Alex Tachovsky, Dr. Kenneth Henderson (mentor)
Department of Business--Marketing
Overview
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Background Information
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2-year and 4-year students tend to feel the
same about the cost/benefit ratio of college.
Works Cited
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References
Acknowledgements
We would first like to thank our mentor, Dr. Kenneth
Henderson for his support and guidance with this project.
Without his assistance we would have not had the
opportunity to present at the ABR conference in New
Orleans where we won the award for “Best Research
Paper.” Our gratitude also extends to Morehead State
University for allowing us to showcase our efforts at the
ABR conference and Celebration of Student Scholarship
through funding.
Overview
Background: Costs of College
Background: Benefits of College
Data Set & Methodology
Hypotheses
Recommendations & ConclusionResults: Qualitative Study
Results: Quantitative Study
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• Cost of college is increasing due to:
• Decrease in government funding
• Increase in demand (Sanchez, 2014)
• Perceived benefits seem to be declining
as enrollment is declining (Bidwell, 2013)
• Purpose:
• Examine the cost/benefit ratio of college
and the attitudes and behaviors it
provokes
• Objectives:
• Define benefits and costs
• Gain attitudinal perspectives of both
• Isolate behaviors
• 1128% increase in cost of attendance in the past
few decades (Sanchez, 2014)
• Enrollment has decreased from 20.2 million to 19.9
million in a year (Bidwell, 2013)
• 812% increase in textbook costs since 1978
• Average annual cost $1,168 (Kingkade, 2014)
• Current student debt: $33,000
• Takes 10 years to repay (Izzo, 2014)
• 2/3 of students receive financial aid (Financial aid: FAQS)
• 52% of students report that their emotional health is
below average (Worthington, 2011)
Sources: Trends in College Pricing 2014 Report by CollegeBoard
• Easier to find and obtain a job
• 12.2% unemployment for non-college graduates
• 3.8% for college graduates (Kurtzleben, 2014)
• Higher lifetime earnings (Kurtzleben, 2014)
• Longer life span (Education)
• Greater health (Education)
• Higher level of job satisfaction (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013)
Baum, S., Ma, J., & Payea, K. (2013). Education Pays. CollegeBoard
Bidwell, A. (2013, December 12). College Enrollment Falls for
Second Year in a Row. Retrieved from U.S. News
Education. (n.d.). Retrieved from OECD Better Life Index
Financial Aid: FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved from Big Future by
CollegeBoard
Sanchez, C. (2014, March 18). How The Cost Of College Went From
Affordable To Sky-High. Retrieved from NPR
Worthington, B. (2011, February 16). New York Times Article Begs a q
Look at K Stress Levels. Retrieved from Wordpress
Izzo, P. (2014, May 16). Congratulations to Class of 2014, Most
Indebted Ever . Retrieved from The Wall Street Journal
Kingkade, T. (2014, January 4). College Textbook Prices Increasing
Faster Than Tuition And Inflation. Retrieved from Huffington
Post
Kurtzleben, D. (2014, February 11). Study: Income Gap Between
Young College and High School Grads Widens. Retrieved from
U.S. News
• Pluralistic approach
• Qualitative study:
• 4 sets of focus groups
• Provided valuable insight for hypotheses
formation
• Quantitative study:
• Surveyed 50 students from both Morehead State
University and various 2-year colleges
H1: There is significant difference between attitudes
of the costs of college between students
based on gender
H2: There is significant difference between the
attitudes of the benefits of college between students
based on gender
H3: There is significant difference between attitudes
of the costs of college between students
based on year in college
H4: There is significant difference between attitudes
of the benefits of college between students based on
year in college
H5: Students who pay less for college tend to have
more favorable attitudes of the costs associated with
college than those who pay more
H6: Students who pay more for college are more
aware of the benefits of college than those who pay
less
H7: Students who pay more for college try harder to
achieve higher graders than those who pay less.
Table I- University Type Distribution
4-year University Females 11
4-year University Males 9
2-year University Females 8
2-year University Males 6
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College Costs Defined
College Benefits Defined
Attitudes Based on Costs
Attitudes Based on Benefits
Behaviours Based on Costs & Benefits
The types of costs brought up in discussion were monetary
costs and hidden costs, including: emotional costs (stress), time
costs (lack of sleep), and tuition costs. All students, 2-year and 4-
year, agreed on these costs.
The types of benefits brought up in discussion included:
heighten social ability, higher self-esteem & status, better
psychological health, more job opportunities, and higher wages. All
students, 2-year and 4-year, agreed on these benefits.
Slight variations in attitudes were noted between participants.
The students who paid less (2-year students and 4-year students
with “free money”) had more positive attitudes while 4-year
students without “free money” had less positive attitudes.
While responses were quite similar among groups,
researchers noted that 4-year students without “free money” had
more positive attitudes in this category than 2-year students and 4-
year students with “free-money.”
2-year students and 4-year students with “free money” had
lower GPA’s (2.5-3.2), studied less (0-7 hours/week), and took less
credit hours (3-12). 4-year students without “free money” reported
the following figures: 3.4-4.0 GPA, 10-15 hours, and 12-18 credits.
H1: Reject
H2: Reject
P=
.141
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
P=
.389
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
P= .068 P= 0.06
P= 0.535
P= 0.181
P= 0.735
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
H3: Reject all
H4: Reject
P=
.735
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
H5-7: Reject (p < 0.01)
Gender does not significantly
affect the attitudes of the costs
of college.
Gender does not significantly
affect the attitudes of the
benefits of college.
Year in college does not
significantly affect the attitudes of
costs of college.
Year in college does not
significantly affect the attitudes
of benefits of college.
There is evidence to suggest that: students who pay less for college do not have more
favorable attitudes of the costs, students who pay more for college are not more aware of the
benefits, and students who pay more for college do not try harder.
• Differentiation through price will not
work for colleges trying to increase
enrollment
• Colleges should work to change the
negative perceptions
• Future studies should use a larger
sample from multiple colleges
• Future studies should address
perceptions of student’s from different
majors