College has gone up 1000% since 1980 for one reason, and one reason only. Eighteen-year olds are dumb and student loans are easy to get. The students will borrow whatever the college tells them they need. Colleges have been exploiting them for decades.
Lots of good graphs at link showing how college tuition and book costs have gone up so much faster than other costs and salaries in society. A graph clearly shows how administrative positions have gone up so much faster than student population.