This research compares the status of managerial accounting practices in public four-year colleges and universities and in private four-year colleges and universities. The investigators surveyed a national sample of chief financial officers (CFOs) at two points in time, 1998-99 and 2003-04. In 1998-99 CFOs representing private institutions reported adoption of managerial accounting practices at a rate significantly higher than CFOs representing public institutions in pricing and performance measurement. In 2003-04 CFOs representing public institutions reported adoption of managerial accounting practices at a rate significantly higher than CFOs representing private institutions in budgeting, performance measurement, organization behavior, and outsourcing. (Contains 3 tables.)