The Relationship Between Financing Structures And The Quality Of Higher Education In The U.S.A

This paper discusses the effect of different financing structures on the quality of higher education. It focuses on the American experience– how the source of financing affects the academic quality of non-profit undergraduate colleges and graduate schools.The author treats higher education as a product that has different levels of definitions. At one level, higher education can be defined as public goods, while at another, it can be classified to the contrary. The author finds that even higher education categorized as public goods relies on a combination of public and private financing, and that the rationality of a financing structure depends on the quality of education.Using the SPSS software, the author then conducts statistical and regressive analyses of the self-made index on financing structures and the index on spending structures. The two indices are made in accordance with the theory that the quality of education should take into account the interests of all parties concerned.The conclusions are: 1) There are different levels and categories of higher education in the United States; 2) There are different financing structures for higher education in the United States, although higher education there in general can be defined as public goods; 3) The more advanced a college or school is, the bigger the impact of the financing structure on its academic quality. For those colleges or schools at lower levels, factors other than the financing structure matter more. It's also true that tuition and professors'salaries both have positive relations with the quality of education. This shows that higher education resources in the United States are generally well allocated according to market demands.Proceeding from the American experience, the author argues that the effect of financing structures should not be underestimated if the quality of education is to be guaranteed. In evaluating the quality of each individual college or school, makes sure that the evaluation model corresponds to the specific financing structure.