Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, this paper examines the inflation-adjusted cost per student between 1989 and 1998 for a sample of four-year public colleges and universities. On average, per-student expenditures grew faster than inflation over the period; but expenditures on public service, academic support, student services, institutional support, and unrestricted scholarships grew faster than instruction for most institutions. The paper also found that the growth rate in adjusted total expenditures per student was caused by (in order of importance) an increase in average faculty salaries, an increase in non-instructional expenditures, and an increase in instructional expenditures other than the salaries of full-time faculty.