A spokesman for Bates took issue with the department's methods, noting that its price — and that of the other four most expensive schools listed — includes room and board, making for an apples-and-oranges comparison with colleges where tuition is listed separately.
The steady stream of applications in the face of scandal may have something to do with the economics of attending Penn State; for the 2011-2012 academic year, its tuition is listed at $15,124 for in-state residents and $27,206 for out-of-state students, each representing a reduction from the average $28,500 that private four-year colleges charge, according to the College Board.
Pupils' self-reliance, fun in class, the promotion of problem-solving processes, an improved classroom atmosphere and variety in tuition were listed as results by four German students.
Tuition prices listed on college websites have long been divorced from what students actually pay.
The differences between list tuition and net tuition are so large because about two-thirds of full-time college students receive some grant aid.
At private four-year colleges, it's about $11,900, compared with a list tuition price of $26,273.
Whichever calculator they choose, administrators at expensive colleges hope the tools will attract students who might have disregarded them because of their listed tuition.
Legislation is being introduced this spring to create user-friendly college consumer reports listing tuition, completion, and job placement rates, as well as data on persistence and transfers.
Tuition fees were listed by nine institutions as financing source for the initial equipment and by eight institutions for covering running expenses.
"Spine felt like a composite of some of the things that were driving me crazy at the time," Brennan remembers, adding gender inequality, the lack of working-class representation in politics, and the hike in university tuition fees to the list.
