Tuition increases in the United States sparked controversy soon after World War II. This was at a time when the workforce was slowing as a result of the war and higher education was becoming a need in order to gain more knowledge in hopes of finding successful and stable careers. Many families have gone into debt to put their children through college. With the exception of its military academies, the U.S. federal government does not directly support higher education. Instead, it offers loans and grants, dating back to the Morrill Act during the American Civil War and the "GI Bill" programs implemented after World War II. The United States has one of the most expensive higher education systems in the world. Public colleges have no control over the state, which is a major source of revenue. Private colleges raised their tuition by an average of 3.9 percent between 2012 and 1013, the smallest increase in four decades, according to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The most expensive university, in terms of tuition alone, is currently Columbia University in New York, at $47,246, according to U.S. News and World Report. One cause of rising tuition costs is reduced state and federal appropriations for state colleges. forcing institutions to pass the cost onto students in the form of higher tuition fees. State support for public colleges and universities has declined by about 26% per full-time student since the early 1990s. In 2011, America's public universities received more revenue from tuition than from funding of the state. About 80% of American students attend public institutions. In a financial bubble, assets like homes are sometimes purchased with the intention of reselling them at a higher price, and this...... middle of paper ...... fold in public colleges and a third of the increase in private " Kantrowitz's study also found that "complying with the growing number of regulations, particularly reporting requirements, increases college costs, "thus contributing to an increase in tuition fees tuition to pay for these additional costs Since deregulation, the average cost of tuition and fees at the state's public universities has increased by 90%, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Council. Of the 181 members of the 83rd State Legislature, more than 50 voted at least once in favor of efforts to end tuition deregulation, while fewer than 20 people voted in favor of retaining it. Many have never voted on the issue, and more than 40 members are freshmen. This increase is however not entirely negative to help universities compensate for this in their budgets..