Explored are the various kinds and degrees of interdependence between private colleges and state governments. An overview examines the meaning of "private," and the legal relationships are analyzed: Supreme Court Decisions, the state action doctrine, sifting facts and weighing circumstances, and case law trends toward state action. Categories of relationships are established, and the situations of individual states within them explored: minimal involvement of the state, financial aid to public and private sectors, specific aid to the private sector, and contracts and consortia. (MSE)