---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As countries embrace mass higher…"
description: "\"As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.\" — Derek Bok"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png"
---

#  As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of…

![“As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.” quote by Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png)

> “As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.”

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Expanding mass higher education strains resources, making elite institutions comparatively cheaper per student.

**In simple terms:** Mass education raises costs.

Key Takeaway

Scale challenges sustainability.

Themes

education policy economics equity resource allocation

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

analytical observation

When to use this quote

- government funding debates
- university budgeting

Key Concepts

higher education budget

Practical Applications

- policy analysis
- budget planning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can universities balance access and quality?
- What models offset rising costs?

A Different Perspective

Some argue that economies of scale can reduce per‑student costs if managed well.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Higher Ed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-ed/) [Higher education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-education/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Universities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universities/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/)

## Related quotes

> [When you continue to perform, your confidence level increases dramatically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/when-you-continue-to-perform-your-confidence-level-increases/)

[Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/)

> [The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill, unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/the-notion-that-college-education-is-a-cost-effective-way-to-help/)

[Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/)

> [No man can instruct more than half-a-dozen students at once. The whole problem of education is one of its cost in money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/no-man-can-instruct-more-than-half-a-dozen-students-at-once-the-whole/)

[Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/)

> [Education cost money, but then so does ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/education-cost-money-but-then-so-does-ignorance/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The most unsuccessful three years in the education of cost estimators appears to be fifth-grade arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/the-most-unsuccessful-three-years-in-the-education-of-cost-estimators/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

> [We know that if we can prevent kids from trying drugs in their teenage years, we dramatically reduce the likelihood that they will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walters/we-know-that-if-we-can-prevent-kids-from-trying-drugs-in-their/)

[John Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walters/)

> [Political corruption is endemic all over this country, in some places worse than others, right? On crime, you have all the major American cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-landrieu/political-corruption-is-endemic-all-over-this-country-in-some-places/)

[Mitch Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-landrieu/)

> [As a photographer, I'm interested in how dramatically photography has changed. Most images are not real or are composites, and most of us don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-allee/as-a-photographer-i-m-interested-in-how-dramatically-photography-has/)

[David Allee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-allee/)

> [If you want a robot to maneuver aggressively, it has to be small. As you scale things down, the 'moment of inertia' - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-kumar/if-you-want-a-robot-to-maneuver-aggressively-it-has-to-be-small-as/)

[Vijay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-kumar/)

> [Today, children are watching more and more television, and are bombarded over and over with images and content that have the potential to dramatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/today-children-are-watching-more-and-more-television-and-are/)

[Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/)

> [New vaccines are being developed all the time, which could save many more lives and dramatically improve people's health. And this goes beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-berkley/new-vaccines-are-being-developed-all-the-time-which-could-save-many/)

[Seth Berkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-berkley/)

> [Spotify will dramatically change my industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/spotify-will-dramatically-change-my-industry/)

[Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/)

> [Remove the predators, and the whole ecosystem begins to crash like a house of cards. As the sharks disappear, the predator-prey balance dramatically shifts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/remove-the-predators-and-the-whole-ecosystem-begins-to-crash-like-a/)

[Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/)

> [The electronics industry expanded rapidly and the seeds for the semiconductor and software revolution were planted. The postwar period also saw the suburbanization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/the-electronics-industry-expanded-rapidly-and-the-seeds-for-the/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-scriptures-record-remarkable-accounts-of-men-whose-lives-changed/)

[Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/)

## More by Derek Bok

> [Doctoral training is devoted almost entirely to learning to do research, even though most Ph.Ds who enter academic life spend far more time teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/doctoral-training-is-devoted-almost-entirely-to-learning-to-do/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [I think it's sort of an outrage that companies should have to hire firms to teach the college graduates they employ how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-it-s-sort-of-an-outrage-that-companies-should-have-to-hire/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [“surveys show that over 90 percent of professors believe that their teaching is above average,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/surveys-show-that-over-90-percent-of-professors-believe-that-their/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [For some students, especially in the sciences, the knowledge gained in college may be directly relevant to graduate study. For almost all students, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/for-some-students-especially-in-the-sciences-the-knowledge-gained-in/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [There is far too much law for those who can afford it and far too little for those who cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/there-is-far-too-much-law-for-those-who-can-afford-it-and-far-too/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [An educated man must have a "curiosity in exploring the unfamiliar and unexpected, an open-mindedness in entertaining opposing points of view, tolerance for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/an-educated-man-must-have-a-curiosity-in-exploring-the-unfamiliar-and/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [Once you start worrying about a national football championship, then you begin to worry about getting the quality of athlete, and the numbers needed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/once-you-start-worrying-about-a-national-football-championship-then/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [I think any self-respecting educational institution ought to judge its policies by its best estimate of what their long-term consequences for their students and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-any-self-respecting-educational-institution-ought-to-judge/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [I think the minority students that we admit to Harvard are every bit as meritorious as the white students that we admit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-the-minority-students-that-we-admit-to-harvard-are-every-bit/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [There's a great deal of difference between thinking reflectively about moral issues and achieving higher standards of ethical behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/there-s-a-great-deal-of-difference-between-thinking-reflectively/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [Critics of American colleges typically attribute the failings of undergraduate education to a tendency on the part of professors to neglect their teaching to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/critics-of-american-colleges-typically-attribute-the-failings-of/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [Early admission programs tend to advantage the advantaged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/early-admission-programs-tend-to-advantage-the-advantaged/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [Universities are institutions run by amateurs to train professionals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/universities-are-institutions-run-by-amateurs-to-train-professionals/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [The oldest of the arts and the youngest of the professions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/the-oldest-of-the-arts-and-the-youngest-of-the-professions/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

> [I suspect that no community will become humane and caring by restricting what its members can say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-suspect-that-no-community-will-become-humane-and-caring-by/)

[Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

[Explore all 51 Derek Bok quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/)

## More Cost quotes

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

Jessica Yu

> [ \[Photography is \] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/photography-is-likewise-even-french-impressionists-so-the-sculls/)

[Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/)

> [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/)

Robbin Crosby

> [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/)

[Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/)

> [One reason for the tremendous increase in health-care costs in the U.S. is managerial neglect of the "hotel services" by the people who dominate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/one-reason-for-the-tremendous-increase-in-health-care-costs-in-the-u/)

[Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/)

> [They brought on someone who cost more than our stadium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/they-brought-on-someone-who-cost-more-than-our-stadium/)

[Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/)

> [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/)

[Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/)

> [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [The term 'cost shifting,' as I use it, refers to those items in a university's budget that used to be reimbursed by the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-term-cost-shifting-as-i-use-it-refers-to-those-items-in-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

Browse all 3,987 Cost quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically relative to an elite system.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Derek Bok"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cost"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/derek-bok-13117_cost_as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-educati_87576.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As countries embrace mass higher education, the cost of maintaining universities increases dramatically…” — Derek Bok",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Derek Bok",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As countries embrace mass higher education,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/as-countries-embrace-mass-higher-education-the-cost-of-maintaining/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
