This report examines three aspects of funding for public higher education from 1984 to 1988. First, it compares the changes in the level of tuition at public institutions of higher education among the 50 states; second, it examines the change in state support for higher education as adjusted by the Higher Education Price Index; and, third, it combines these findings to provide an assessment of their joint impact on public higher education, and suggests some of the policy implications that arise from the findings. Major findings of the study indicated that 40 states had tuition increases at the same rate or faster than personal disposable income, and that state support for higher education decreased in 16 states and increased in 32 states. In addition, public sector tuition levels were found to have increased by 33.6 percent between 1984 and 1988, an average increase of $310 per student, while per capita personal disposable income increased $2,833 or 25.2 percent. (GLR)