[secabeen]

I'm not sure the data backs that up:

Average expenditure per student:

Instruction: $17,996

Student Services and Academic Support (Not all of which are administrators): $9528

That results in $0.52 spent on Student Services and Academic Support for each $1.00 spent on Instruction. In 1999, that number was $0.47 spent on Student Services and Academic Support per $1.00 spent on Instruction. That's not a huge increase in administrators.

https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d17/tables/dt17_334.30.a...

The cost of college is largely driven by reductions in state support for public institutions, and the resulting increases in tuition by both private and public schools:

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/fancy-dorms-arent-the-m...

[AngusH]

It might also be worth including some or possibly all of the $7,403 which is allocated to Institutional support (in the tables).

This page offers a summary of what that classification includes and it includes some clearly essential activities:

https://www.wisconsin.edu/financial-administration/accountin...

[edit typo]

[secabeen]

That's fair, but it doesn't change the argument much. If you add the Institutional Support, you get these costs being 87% of Instructional Costs in 1999, and 94% in 2016. That is an increase of 8% as compared to 5% by my original calculation.