The following is a series of excerpts from President Richard Freeland’s testimony that he is giving today before the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

“Northeastern was founded over a century ago as a place of opportunity for people in Boston who did not have the financial means to attend the other private colleges and universities in the area. Our flagship co-op program has historically helped many students earn the dollars they needed to pay their tuition bills. Northeastern’s traditions of accessibility and affordability are particularly important to me … Most private institutions rely, as does Northeastern, on student payments for most of their revenues. In that respect we are quite typical of private higher education in the country.

Rising costs and strategies to restrain costs: whenever we discuss the cost of higher education, it is of course helpful and necessary that we make a distinction between what it costs a university to educate its students and the price that those students pay to acquire that education …”

Freeland closed his five minute testimony by highlighting two examples before opening the floor up for questions.

“First, despite our efforts to restrain cost increases, we worry, as do the members of this committee, about the financial burdens that attending Northeastern imposes on students and their families …”

And lastly, “Over the course of their lifetimes, bachelors degree holders can expect to earn an average of $900,000 more than their high school graduate counterparts. Against such numbers our tuition charges, while substantial, represent a very good investment.”