Inflation-adjusted government funding for each college student grew by 48% from 2003 to 2023. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and certain media outlets have blamed steep rises in college tuition on reduced government funding for higher education, but inflation-adjusted funding for each college student is currently at an all-time high and has nearly tripled since 1960. Tuition has risen primarily because colleges are spending more money per student. In conjunction with this, colleges have significantly reduced academic loads, inflated grades, and failed to instill practical and literacy skills in large portions of their students.