Some colleges say hosting a debate is worth the $5M cost

The Long Island school is hosting a presidential debate for the third consecutive election cycle after stepping in for Ohio's Wright State University, which backed out last month amid concerns about security costs.

"Any time a college or university gets national exposure, be it a presidential debate or athletic event, like a basketball run through the NCAA tournament, it helps with name recognition," said Kent Rinehart, dean of admission at Marist College and board member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

There are telecommunications setups to arrange, sometimes food tents to set up, shuttle buses to carry people to parking lots.

Enrollment applications climbed by 5,000 after Hofstra's 2012 debate between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, but college officials contend their motivations go beyond attracting students.

Hofstra invites political and media experts for discussions on campaign issues in the weeks before the actual event, he said.

At the University of Denver, a post-2012 debate survey showed that high school students' perception of the institution improved and that the debate helped make it an authority in the political arena.