Ivy League Cuts: What $50K in Tuition Buys

2008 Endowment: $36.5 billion
Change between June 30, 2008, and Oct. 31, 2008 (most recent data available): down 22%

Incoming freshmen may have to clean up after themselves more. After Harvard asked some subcontractors that provide its cleaning services to cut costs by 30% to 40%, the company laid off workers and cut their hours. Earlier in March, news of the potential layoffs prompted protests by 150 staff and students. More services on campus could be impacted by Harvard's early retirement program, which has been extended to 1,600 staff members (not including faculty). Faculty salaries have been frozen. (Nevertheless, searches to fill more than 50 faculty positions, ranging from South Asia studies to public health, will go on.) New students may also have less time with their resident advisor, or proctor. The school is considering cutting some of the meals it subsidizes for proctors.

Tuition and financial aid
Undergraduate tuition plus room and board will be 3.5% higher for 2009-10 at $48,868 a year. Meanwhile, need-based scholarship aid is expected to grow by 18% to $147 million. Families earning less than $60,000 annually won’t be required to pay tuition.