It is commonly supposed that colleges help to reduce inequality by providing paths for individuals to rise beyond modest origins. Reviewing evidence from more than 1,000 colleges, elite and not, the author argues that baccalaureate education’s power to reduce inequality has actually declined, because the colleges themselves have become more unequal. Unequal Colleges in the Age of Disparity describes the market for baccalaureate education over the last four decades, paying attention to both the demand side and supply side of the market. It is an historical analysis of a large and variegated industry, described in terms - such as “firm,” “consumer,” and “market power” - rarely applied to it, that explain this increasing inequality.–
