Two key reasons researchers said colleges costs continue to rise even in an era of low inflation.

The Washington Post reports.

Why the price tag of a college degree continues to rise

Why does college cost so much?

It’s a question parents, students, and politicians often ask and the answer is often elusive. There is much speculation about what is exactly to blame for college costs that tick up more and more every year above the rate of inflation and well above lagging family incomes.

You’ve probably heard about a lot of reasons for the price surge: tenured professors, climbing walls, luxury dorms, too many administrators, overpaid presidents. But it’s almost impossible to isolate one or two causes. Trying to dissect a university’s budget is nearly impossible. Money is constantly moving from parts of a university that make money (large English lecture classes for freshmen) to subsidize those segments that lose money (small senior chemistry labs).