Thursday, March 05, 2015

How the Pressure on Public Colleges Plays Out in One State

This from the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

How the Pressure on Public Colleges Plays Out in One State

By Casey Fabris
Rising tuition costs at public universities, coupled with a decline in state support, have raised questions across the country about how those trends are affecting access to college, enrollment numbers, and graduation rates.
In Virginia, which has 15 four-year public colleges, a new report offers some answers.
On Wednesday the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ithaka S+R released the report, "The Effects of Rising Student Costs in Higher Education: Evidence From Public Institutions in Virginia." Here’s a summary of what it has to say about how the state has been affected by those trends, and what it suggests doing about them.
Shrinking State Support. Virginia’s colleges are grappling with sharp declines in state funds. The most recent recession played a significant role, with state funding per student falling to historically low levels since 2007. And it’s unlikely the issue will be resolved any time soon: The report says there are "few signs that funding will be restored in the near future."
The Cost Burden on Students. From 1997 to 2012, net costs—the difference between a student’s total costs of attending college and the aid he or she receives—regularly increased at rates above inflation for students in almost all of the five socioeconomic groups that the report considers. The increases have occurred more quickly and more consistently since 2007. Since that same year, net costs have been increasing the most for the neediest students, rising by an average of 3.5 percent a year.
Since 2007, net costs have increased faster than family incomes among all but the wealthiest of the five socioeconomic groups. Since the recession, needy students have been using loans to finance, on average, about 49 percent of their net costs.
Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation Rates. Enrollment of in-state, first-time, full-time students has been on the rise since 1997, although the rate has slowed in recent years. Since 1997, the average increase has been 2.5 percent; but since 2007, it has been 1.5 percent.
Since 2010, enrollment in each of the five socioeconomic groups considered has remained flat. Because of that lack of growth, there are far more high-income students enrolled than low-income students.
Retention rates have risen slightly since 1997, holding around an average of 85 percent. The difference in retention rates between the highest-income and lowest-income students is an average of 11 percentage points.
Graduation rates are on the rise, with 37 percent of students who started college in 1997 graduating in four years and 48 percent of students who started in 2008 graduating in four years.
Though there have been increases in graduation rates among the various socioeconomic groups, a significant gap between the wealthiest and neediest students remains. The difference was 28 percentage points in both 1997 and 2008.
"This strongly suggests that we have fallen well short of achieving the stated goal of ‘equal opportunity for all’ throughout this period," the report says.
Reflections. Leaving students to deal with the rising cost of college without providing significantly more need-based aid will make it difficult to achieve "overall educational attainment," and is likely to worsen the gaps between the various socioeconomic groups, the report concludes. It offers three recommendations, and suggests using a combination of them, to deal with those issues:
  • Increase public funding of higher education and develop new methods for distributing that money.
  • Make public systems and institutions function more efficiently.
  • Use a "significant portion" of money saved by increased efficiency for need-based aid.
- See more at: http://m.chronicle.com/article/How-the-Pressure-on-Public/228121#sthash.6T6iIVgH.dpuf

How the Pressure on Public Colleges Plays Out in One State

By Casey Fabris
Rising tuition costs at public universities, coupled with a decline in state support, have raised questions across the country about how those trends are affecting access to college, enrollment numbers, and graduation rates.
In Virginia, which has 15 four-year public colleges, a new report offers some answers.
On Wednesday the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ithaka S+R released the report, "The Effects of Rising Student Costs in Higher Education: Evidence From Public Institutions in Virginia." Here’s a summary of what it has to say about how the state has been affected by those trends, and what it suggests doing about them.
Shrinking State Support. Virginia’s colleges are grappling with sharp declines in state funds. The most recent recession played a significant role, with state funding per student falling to historically low levels since 2007. And it’s unlikely the issue will be resolved any time soon: The report says there are "few signs that funding will be restored in the near future."
The Cost Burden on Students. From 1997 to 2012, net costs—the difference between a student’s total costs of attending college and the aid he or she receives—regularly increased at rates above inflation for students in almost all of the five socioeconomic groups that the report considers. The increases have occurred more quickly and more consistently since 2007. Since that same year, net costs have been increasing the most for the neediest students, rising by an average of 3.5 percent a year.
Since 2007, net costs have increased faster than family incomes among all but the wealthiest of the five socioeconomic groups. Since the recession, needy students have been using loans to finance, on average, about 49 percent of their net costs.
Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation Rates. Enrollment of in-state, first-time, full-time students has been on the rise since 1997, although the rate has slowed in recent years. Since 1997, the average increase has been 2.5 percent; but since 2007, it has been 1.5 percent.
Since 2010, enrollment in each of the five socioeconomic groups considered has remained flat. Because of that lack of growth, there are far more high-income students enrolled than low-income students.
Retention rates have risen slightly since 1997, holding around an average of 85 percent. The difference in retention rates between the highest-income and lowest-income students is an average of 11 percentage points.
Graduation rates are on the rise, with 37 percent of students who started college in 1997 graduating in four years and 48 percent of students who started in 2008 graduating in four years.
Though there have been increases in graduation rates among the various socioeconomic groups, a significant gap between the wealthiest and neediest students remains. The difference was 28 percentage points in both 1997 and 2008.
"This strongly suggests that we have fallen well short of achieving the stated goal of ‘equal opportunity for all’ throughout this period," the report says.
Reflections. Leaving students to deal with the rising cost of college without providing significantly more need-based aid will make it difficult to achieve "overall educational attainment," and is likely to worsen the gaps between the various socioeconomic groups, the report concludes. It offers three recommendations, and suggests using a combination of them, to deal with those issues:
  • Increase public funding of higher education and develop new methods for distributing that money.
  • Make public systems and institutions function more efficiently.
  • Use a "significant portion" of money saved by increased efficiency for need-based aid.
- See more at: http://m.chronicle.com/article/How-the-Pressure-on-Public/228121#sthash.6T6iIVgH.dpuf

How the Pressure on Public Colleges Plays Out in One State

By Casey Fabris
Rising tuition costs at public universities, coupled with a decline in state support, have raised questions across the country about how those trends are affecting access to college, enrollment numbers, and graduation rates.
In Virginia, which has 15 four-year public colleges, a new report offers some answers.
On Wednesday the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ithaka S+R released the report, "The Effects of Rising Student Costs in Higher Education: Evidence From Public Institutions in Virginia." Here’s a summary of what it has to say about how the state has been affected by those trends, and what it suggests doing about them.
Shrinking State Support. Virginia’s colleges are grappling with sharp declines in state funds. The most recent recession played a significant role, with state funding per student falling to historically low levels since 2007. And it’s unlikely the issue will be resolved any time soon: The report says there are "few signs that funding will be restored in the near future."
The Cost Burden on Students. From 1997 to 2012, net costs—the difference between a student’s total costs of attending college and the aid he or she receives—regularly increased at rates above inflation for students in almost all of the five socioeconomic groups that the report considers. The increases have occurred more quickly and more consistently since 2007. Since that same year, net costs have been increasing the most for the neediest students, rising by an average of 3.5 percent a year.
Since 2007, net costs have increased faster than family incomes among all but the wealthiest of the five socioeconomic groups. Since the recession, needy students have been using loans to finance, on average, about 49 percent of their net costs.
Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation Rates. Enrollment of in-state, first-time, full-time students has been on the rise since 1997, although the rate has slowed in recent years. Since 1997, the average increase has been 2.5 percent; but since 2007, it has been 1.5 percent.
Since 2010, enrollment in each of the five socioeconomic groups considered has remained flat. Because of that lack of growth, there are far more high-income students enrolled than low-income students.
Retention rates have risen slightly since 1997, holding around an average of 85 percent. The difference in retention rates between the highest-income and lowest-income students is an average of 11 percentage points.
Graduation rates are on the rise, with 37 percent of students who started college in 1997 graduating in four years and 48 percent of students who started in 2008 graduating in four years.
Though there have been increases in graduation rates among the various socioeconomic groups, a significant gap between the wealthiest and neediest students remains. The difference was 28 percentage points in both 1997 and 2008.
"This strongly suggests that we have fallen well short of achieving the stated goal of ‘equal opportunity for all’ throughout this period," the report says.
Reflections. Leaving students to deal with the rising cost of college without providing significantly more need-based aid will make it difficult to achieve "overall educational attainment," and is likely to worsen the gaps between the various socioeconomic groups, the report concludes. It offers three recommendations, and suggests using a combination of them, to deal with those issues:
  • Increase public funding of higher education and develop new methods for distributing that money.
  • Make public systems and institutions function more efficiently.
  • Use a "significant portion" of money saved by increased efficiency for need-based aid.
- See more at: http://m.chronicle.com/article/How-the-Pressure-on-Public/228121#sthash.6T6iIVgH.dpuf


Rising tuition costs at public universities, coupled with a decline in state support, have raised questions across the country about how those trends are affecting access to college, enrollment numbers, and graduation rates.


In Virginia, which has 15 four-year public colleges, a new report offers some answers.

On Wednesday the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ithaka S+R released the report, "The Effects of Rising Student Costs in Higher Education: Evidence From Public Institutions in Virginia." Here’s a summary of what it has to say about how the state has been affected by those trends, and what it suggests doing about them.

Shrinking State Support. 

Virginia’s colleges are grappling with sharp declines in state funds. The most recent recession played a significant role, with state funding per student falling to historically low levels since 2007. And it’s unlikely the issue will be resolved any time soon: The report says there are "few signs that funding will be restored in the near future."

The Cost Burden on Students. 

From 1997 to 2012, net costs—the difference between a student’s total costs of attending college and the aid he or she receives—regularly increased at rates above inflation for students in almost all of the five socioeconomic groups that the report considers. The increases have occurred more quickly and more consistently since 2007. Since that same year, net costs have been increasing the most for the neediest students, rising by an average of 3.5 percent a year.

Since 2007, net costs have increased faster than family incomes among all but the wealthiest of the five socioeconomic groups. Since the recession, needy students have been using loans to finance, on average, about 49 percent of their net costs.

Enrollment, Retention, and Graduation Rates.  

Enrollment of in-state, first-time, full-time students has been on the rise since 1997, although the rate has slowed in recent years. Since 1997, the average increase has been 2.5 percent; but since 2007, it has been 1.5 percent.

Since 2010, enrollment in each of the five socioeconomic groups considered has remained flat. Because of that lack of growth, there are far more high-income students enrolled than low-income students.

Retention rates have risen slightly since 1997, holding around an average of 85 percent. The difference in retention rates between the highest-income and lowest-income students is an average of 11 percentage points.

Graduation rates are on the rise, with 37 percent of students who started college in 1997 graduating in four years and 48 percent of students who started in 2008 graduating in four years.

Though there have been increases in graduation rates among the various socioeconomic groups, a significant gap between the wealthiest and neediest students remains. The difference was 28 percentage points in both 1997 and 2008.

"This strongly suggests that we have fallen well short of achieving the stated goal of ‘equal opportunity for all’ throughout this period," the report says.

Reflections.
Leaving students to deal with the rising cost of college without providing significantly more need-based aid will make it difficult to achieve "overall educational attainment," and is likely to worsen the gaps between the various socioeconomic groups, the report concludes. It offers three recommendations, and suggests using a combination of them, to deal with those issues:
  • Increase public funding of higher education and develop new methods for distributing that money.
  • Make public systems and institutions function more efficiently.
  • Use a "significant portion" of money saved by increased efficiency for need-based aid. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sounds like state legislators say one thing with their mouths but do something else with your dollars. It would seem pretty clear that providing educations to those lowest on the SES totem pole would increase tax revenue through the cultivating of higher educated/increased employment potential and taxable income. Of course that is a long term result which occurs well beyond the next election. Probably more popular to hand out an SSI check each month, pave a road and, dog-gone, it get that new Rupp Arena built for the CATS. That way those poor folks who can't afford the B-Ball tickets, much less attend the university, can live in the delusion that there is some sort of value or excellence in being a Kentuckian.