Since 1980, WICHE has collected tuition and fees data annually from public four-year and two-year institutions in its 15 member states. The data are provided by staff at system offices or at state higher education governing and coordinating board offices. Each year, the staff are asked to provide current tuition and fees data for resident and nonresident undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in public four-year colleges and universities, and for resident and nonresident students in public two-year colleges. In addition, staff are asked to verify and, if necessary, correct previously reported data.
The 2001 survey was mailed to state governing and coordinating board staff in June 2001. Staff were asked to provide tuition and fees data for 2001-2002, and to verify and revise, if necessary, the reported data for 2000-01, 1996-97, and 1991-92. All surveys were returned by October 2001. The survey data were reviewed for possible errors, and problems were discussed with the staff in the appropriate office. This year’s breakdown of institutions by Carnegie Classification used A Classification of Institutions of Higher Education: 1994 edition (Carnegie Foundation, 1994).