為了因應經濟發展需求與社會潮流變遷，及民眾對於接受高等教育之需求日趨殷切，且為了回應當時民間教育改革團體廣設高中大學的呼籲，在在都促使我國高等教育政策上的開放與鬆綁。自1987年台灣解除戒嚴後，我國高等教育即蓬勃發展並且快速擴張，大專校院的數量與學生數均有顯著的增加，但是，政府對於高等教育經費的支出卻未跟著成長趨勢增加，造成高等教育資源被相對稀釋了。本文將高等教育擴張政策過程，設想如同有限的民生水資源一般，以「政策是有限資源的分配過程」為隱喻的政策發展模式來作為本文的架構，同時，針對高等教育擴張後所衍生的社會現象，提出評析與建議。

In response to the overall economic growth, social trends, the imperative needs of higher education for individuals, and the urgent appeals to the government by education reform organizations asking for high accessibility of higher education, the government has adopted an opener and looser policy toward higher education. Higher education in Taiwan has boomed distinctively and expanded rapidly since the martial law was not in force in 1987. The numbers of higher education institutes and students have obviously risen. Government expenditure on higher education, however, doesn't increase along with the growing trend causing the resources relatively depleted. This paper draws parallels between the higher education booming process and the limited water resources. The writer scaffolds the paper upon a policy-making model identifying policy metaphorically as the allocation process for limited resources. Meanwhile, analyses and suggestions are proposed based on the phenomena caused by higher education expansion.