One of the most polarizing issues in higher education took center stage on Capitol Hill on Tuesday as House members questioned whether universities could do more with their tax-exempt endowments to help families struggling with the high costs of college.
Wealthy universities, in particular, have drawn criticism from lawmakers for raising tuition far in excess of inflation while sitting on hefty endowments. Congressional Republicans have asked 56 private universities, each with endowments exceeding $1 billion, for information about the use of that money. Elite institutions have derided the attention on their endowments as misguided, arguing that they are not savings accounts that can easily be drawn down.
On Tuesday, a House Ways and Means subcommittee kicked off the first of several planned hearings on how the tax code affects higher education, focusing on universities that use their endowments to lower student expenses.
Read more at The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/09/13/congress-digs-into-controversial-issue-of-colleges-using-endowments-to-lower-students-costs/