From 1967 to 1992, graduate students of all kinds increased about half, twice the growth of the United States population. In 1970 only about 30 universities had large research programs. From 1960 to now, major league baseball added more franchises, too, from 16 to 28. The New York Yankees could not maintain their dynasty in that expanding field. The 1995 NAS ranking of doctoral programs in dozens of fields showed predictably that the average rank of most universities declined with the expanding number of competitors, worsening morale and lengthening the climb to the top of the standings.
Questions also arise about the qualifications of a larger absolute number of students and faculty.
In the 1950s, war veterans swelled the ranks of students. Recovering from the thin years of the Depression, colleges needed teachers quickly. Fresh Ph.D.'s staffed the rapidly expanding state universities and enlarging older institutions, too. Subsequently, democratization of educational opportunity and the baby boom sustained the college boom. Secondarily, the government paid for training technical personnel to compete with the perceived scientific prowess of the Soviets.