[Yo-Yo]

The cost to deliver a four year education at a public university has pretty much matched inflation.

The problem is state appropriations for higher education have dropped dramatically, forcing more costs onto students in the form of higher tuition.

State of Michigan Higher Education Appropriations vs. tuition:

[Neoliberalnot]

Some of the people here simply don’t like the numbers. The welfare state is our new slave-master. Thank you for posting the graphic.

[Old North State]

The label on the vertical axis of your Michigan v. Ed. Appropriations indicates it is the per cent of total Appropriations so there is no way to determine if it represents a decrease in dollars. It may simply indicate that the legislature refused to go along with the spending madness. Remember, whatever amount the legislature appropriates in used to finance the ever growing spending by the universities. It is not used to offset tuition. It merely means the total will be higher. I don't have any knowledge of Michigan per se, but the cost of delivering education at public universities across the US had more than doubled the rate of inflation over the last two decades.