Illinois College Payrolls and Spending are Jumping Dramatically. For What? Fewer Students?

By Reboot Illinois (Star Patcher)

If you’ve sent your kids to college within the past decade or so, you know firsthand the cost of tuition and the seemingly endless rate hikes implemented year after year.

The state’s average student debt in 2012 amounted to $28,028 for both public and private four-year institutions. A staggering 64 percent of graduates left school with debt that year — the 13th most in the nation.

Out of Illinois’ 12 public universities, 11 had in-state tuition increases for the 2014-15 academic year. With that in mind, just wait until you see these statistics regarding spending and employment within Illinois’ higher education system.

And since we’re on the topic of debt, this is how much every single Chicago resident would need to pony up to fully fund the city’s public pensions.

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This article appears on all Patch Chicago sites. The views expressed in this post are those of Reboot Illinois and do not reflect those of Patch or its editors.