49 States Flunk College Affordability Review

An independent report on American higher education flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability _ an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out Fs for affordability to 49 states, up from 43 two years ago. Only California received a passing grade in the category, a C, thanks to its relatively inexpensive community colleges.

The report card uses a range of measurements to give states grades, from A to F, on the performance of their public and private colleges. The affordability grade is based on how much of the average family's income it costs to go to college.

Almost everywhere, that figure is up, according to the survey. Only two states _ New York and Tennessee _ have made even minimal improvements since 2000, but they're still considered to be failing. Everywhere else, families must fork over a greater percentage of their income to pay for college. In Illinois, the average cost attending a public four-year college has jumped from 19 percent of family's income in 1999-2000 to 35 percent in 2007-2008, and in Pennsylvania, from 29 percent to 41 percent.

Low-income families have been hardest hit. Nationally, enrollment at a local public college costs families in the top fifth of income just 9 percent of their earnings, while families from the bottom fifth pay 55 percent _ up from 39 percent in 1999-2000.

And that's after accounting for financial aid, which is increasingly being used to lure high-achieving students who boost a school's reputation, but who don't need help to go to college.

The problem seems likely to worsen as the economy does, said Patrick Callan, the center's president.

Historically during downturns, "states make disproportionate cuts in higher education and, in return for the colleges taking them gracefully, allow them to raise tuition," Callan said. "If we handle this recession like we've handled others, we will see that this gets worse."

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Scott Cristal of Columbia, Mo., said he wasn't surprised by the study's findings. Cristal, who has sent two daughters to college and has another two yet to pay for, said that he is trying to expand his business to help pay the tuition bills, but that it's been hard because of the slowing economy.

"We're going to play it by ear, be optimistic, hope for the best and just ride it out as best we can," Cristal said. "I think that's what everybody in America's doing right now."

States fared modestly better in other categories such as participation, where no state failed and about half the states earned As or Bs _ comparable to the report two years ago. One reason for the uptick is that more students are taking rigorous college-prep courses, the study found. In Texas, for instance, the percentage of high schoolers taking at least one upper-level science course has nearly tripled from 20 percent to 56 percent.

But better preparation for college hasn't translated into better enrollment or completion, with only two states _ Arizona and Iowa _ receiving an A for participation in higher education.

And the discrepancy in enrollment between states is still great: Forty-four percent of young Iowans are in college, while just 18 percent of their counterparts in Alaska _ one of three states to get an F in the category _ are enrolled.

Callan said the United States is at best standing still while other countries pass it in areas like college enrollment and completion. And as higher education fails to keep up with population growth, the specter lurks of new generations less educated than their Baby Boomer predecessors.

"The educational strength of the American population is in the group that's about to retire," Callan said. "In the rest of the world it's the group that's gone to college since 1990."

___

On the Net:

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education: http://www.highereducation.org/

Comments

[iPolitics]

Alaska received an F

Palin.

[panurse]

Ha!!!! Gotta love it

[GeorgiaOrwell]

Don't worry - your local senators and representatives won't help on lowering the cost of higher education just like they never pass anything that will benefit people. You can be sure, however, they will spend billions of dollars bringing 'democracy' to every 3rd world country - US style; you know, with bombs and torture.

[bmonaghan]

Another sign of just how this country is being increasingly divided by income. If you have money you can afford tuition, grad school and the necessary internships where you build connections and gain experience. You don't have money, it's state schools and summer jobs - and even then you rack up more debt than you can possibly carry. Our brightest and hardest working end up on the bottom, while the kids who come from wealthy families end up with all the opportunity. It's just not right. Obama himself credits the social programs and scholarships that enabled him to succeed. Bush credits his family. What system produced a finer end product? This is fundamentally wrong.

[Samalabear]

There's an incredible amount of good brains among the so-called lower middle class and the poor, if they're just given a chance. There are lot of people who went from welfare and were able to go to college, got off of welfare and became quite successful. There were a lot of people on welfare taking advantage of college to move ahead (they were required to maintain at least a B average and did. Then welfare reform came in in the 90s and it stopped progress in their tracks. There is not much hope for someone on welfare now. The system is stacked against the recipient. They are forced to work menial jobs to pay for their welfare. Many of these are poor single moms.

[sandiegoconservative]

I paid for college and law school myself and through scholarships which I killed myself to earn. I have debt which I am paying back, but it is not debt to me, it was an investment. I went to a state school, worked a summer job, and played a sport to go to college and I did the same to go to law school.

Why is it people always lump the rich into one category and the poor into another and say the poor have no options? I was poor and did it, anyone can. If you truly want to go to college, you can do it and do well. There is NOTHING wrong with a State school.

[solid]

The United States is getting flat out smoked by most other Western countries in secondary education. Why doesn't the Federal government make affordable education one of its highest priorities? Is it reasonable to expect families to devote 40% of their annual incomes to send one child to college? Is it reasonable to expect young adults to graduate with hundreds of thousands in student loans, especially when many countries provide free or nearly free college education?

Something needs to be done soon, especially with the drop in the stock market, which wiped out trillions in portfolios designed for kids' college educations, mine included.

This country is falling behind badly, and nobody in power seems to give a sh*t.

[hyrollin]

Maybe the colleges need to quit focusing so much on sports and spend less on coaches salaries. Then they could probably lower tuition costs.

[thegreatgiginthesky]

I attended a school that had no college football program, no basketball program. The only thing they had in that school was a chess team. Yet tuition wasn't any lower.

[bmonaghan]

How much was the chess coach being paid?

[ManUnitdFan]

Coaches' salaries are a drop in the bucket, and sports (for the big schools, at least) tend to bring in a lot of revenue. It's an issue of priorities of the state and national level. We just need more of an emphasis on making higher education affordable from the government, not fewer college sports.

[HIbbs4Prez]

Most of the schools with big football programs that bring in money still take a loss financially on that sport. And despite this there is no desire to slow down. The prices for coaches keep rising and new football stadiums or at least very expensive jumbo screens are being planned everywhere. While Ohio keeps sinking economically Ohio State keeps tossing more money at its overly-funded football program.

[Keypinitreel]

Education has been put on the back burner in this country because too many people profit off of the ignorant.

Look at the last election..­. look at the republican base, their base thrives on ignorance and fear. Tha last thing the republican party wants to see is some kind of mass enlightenment in appalachia because it is shown election after election that the more educated people get the more progressive they become. The more empowered they become to take part in and act to bring change (think minorities voting).

Economic exploitation happens primarily to the uneducated, imagine the guy that pays 2000 dollars for some rims and has no food in the refrigerator in his apartment. Kids running up cell phone bills with useless purchases of ring tones and games.

There is a lot to be gained in keeping people ignorant, and suppressing education; The problem is it has been done for so long that it now threatens the global competitiveness of our society in arenas of math and science.

[wagadog]

Well, we've been educating people at the undergraduate and graduate level in engineering, science, math...whe­re did they all go?

Oh, that's right. Back to India, China, Pakistan, South America. Africa even.

You see, it was very very very important for us to "maintain our standards" by refusing to educate American women in these fields, but rather educate "better prepared" foreign men.

So their countries could kick our asses 10 years down the line.

[KillTheMessenger]

Looks like a tail is wagging a dog here.

[Rep/Dem both suck]

Americans are just not that interested in those careers. I took a Physics AP Calculus AP courses in my last year of high school, last year. I think maybe half the class were going into those careers full time. Everyone wants to be lawyers and financial majors. The classes are easier, the earning potiential is still huge. it's alot easier than being an engineer or medical school.

[PATina]

I agree... but it's also that we (the people) don't really respect education. Think of how much more attention (and money) is paid to jocks than to nerds? Not to mention that we value image over substance. You do remember this election when people looked down on those "educated elites". Yesterday, there was a blog post on HuffPo about liberal arts education.­.. and most of the comments I read people were more concerned about finding a job than being educated. We need to change how we view education.

[lippp]

I thought Laura Bush said education was a major issue she wanted to be her cause as First Lady. As far as I can tell, the only thing she did, perhaps except reading the last few chapters of "MY Pet Goat" to George, was to present an award to the Teacher of The Year. Just another example of how the Bushes have simply walked through the last eight years. Intellectually non curious and reactionary and incompetent.

[Egalitare]

Note that Ms. Bush - a former public school educator - was nowhere in the room when the Administration thought up No Child Left Behind. The were rightfully fearful that she would have poked way too many common sense holes in their "elegant" construction.

[SeenItBefore]

It's a while, but my first university tuition in the South was $500.00 per semester in 1964. My Mother made $100.00 per week, so the salary to income ratio was just less then 10%.

I had a small loan ($400.00) per year covering less than half. I worked miserable part-time jobs to pay for room and board in an ancient dorm. My Mother tried to make up shortages, but I dropped out after the fall semester of my junior year.

Five years later I resumed my undergraduate education at another state university with a new major in the southwest. A resident, I was charged $100.00 to $150.00 per semester tuition. I had saved thousands in anticipation, secured student loans, and after two semesters, benefited from scholarships and an endowment. In addition, I worked 50 hours a week and carried as many as 21 hours a semester.

I relate this not for sympathy, but to say it's always been tough. I worked my tail off, graduated with honors and can say with certainty, if I had to do it again in the current environment, it would be doubtful that I could make it.

Oh, and I left graduate school with a massive loan portfolio that took near 20 years to pay off.

Sadly, what matters most, excellent heath care and a quality education will always elude the poor, unwashed among us and we are less of a nation because of it

[RJII]

Higher education is overblown in the fact that you may not get a job or adequate salary to pay off high tuition costs.
Its like the cost of getting a degree is going higher, but the degree's value is going lower in the job market.

[BeyondGoodAndEvil]

That's because higher education here are diploma mills. That's what happens when you privatize education. It exists for profit, not to educate.

Nearly all other Western Countries have practically free college education. There's no need to take out student loans.

[PATina]

So true !!!!

[tops]

This is so true.

I just finished my masters degree about 1 1/2 years ago with the intent of teaching at a community college. I've applied for quite a few jobs, but only have been called for one interview and didn't get hired. I thought at least I would get called for more interviews, regardless of whether I got hired or not. The Ironic part is that I know teachers who got hired at four year universities, in the 60's & 70's, with only a masters degree. Obviously this would be out of the question now.

[doyle005]

Tops,

There are simply too many PhD's also applying for those CC jobs. I'm ABD from my PhD and I have applied to CC's for jobs. If they can get a PhD for the same cost as as a master's; I'm afraid they will always go with the PhD.

[amirct3]

i KNOW BEST ONLY THREE SEMESTER AWAY FROM RECEIVING MY BSN IN NURSING AND I HAD TO WITHDRAW BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO FEED MY SON, PAY FOR HIS SCHOOL AND MINE PLUS BOOKS AT THE SAME TIME. SINCE, I ALREADY HAVE ONE DEGREE I GET NADA IN GRANTS.

[doyle005]

So you use all caps to prove your point? Is your son also in college? You should take out loans in order to finish.

[alienufo]

truly sad. As someone who had the grades but not the money to finish my degree, I REALLY hope something is done about this. Education has been ignored in this country for too long...