Higher Education Doesn’t Have to Mean Higher Costs
Education Policy Brief #85 | By: Steve Piazza | August 21, 2023
Photo taken from: www.salon.com
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The rising cost of public higher education starts with tuition policy implemented by varying governing structures within each state. According to the Education Commission of the States, tuition at public four-year schools in 42 states and D.C is determined by distinctive campus authorities, or boards, with the reach of some spanning multiple campuses. Similar structures for two-year schools are in place, though with modifications to meet different needs.
Most institutional board members are selected by the state governor, though some involve a student or students elected by the student body. Other states like Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, and Nevada hold a public election. North Carolina’s 13-member board elects eight of its members while the governor elects four and the students one.
The reason that these boards are compelled to raise tuition stems from many different factors. And when they do, it’s not surprising that such changes present hardships on students. Thus, a number of efforts are being made to prevent current and potential students from experiencing obstacles to their education.
Policy Analysis
College tuition rises for a number of reasons, largely from substantial increases in spending across different sectors of academia. These can include elevated expenditures in capital improvement, salaries, athletic and other programs, and goods and services, not to mention just basic adjustments due to inflation.
Reductions in state appropriations and grant money students receive also force policy makers to spend more. Unexpected events such as the pandemic don’t help.
Over the past two decades, the average change in spending for the country’s state flagship schools has been 38% according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. And when colleges are spending vast amounts of money, coupled with declining enrollment, increases in student contributions are inevitable. The student share has risen to as much as 42.2.% in 2022 according to a 2023 State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report.
The effects of tuition increases on students are far reaching. 34% of adults 18-24 say they are not attending college because of the costs, according to a three-year old study by Intelligent.com. Those who do enroll may be forced to drop out, transfer to other less expensive schools, or switch majors.
Higher costs can also cause emotional and psychological problems that may result from food and shelter insecurity, transportation hardships, problems accessing healthcare, widening wealth gaps, and difficulties obtaining books and incidentals.
To address these issues, calls have been going out for caps on tuition and attendance, an increase in the number of grants being offered, more technology-based learning opportunities, and a ceiling on, or the elimination of, student debt.
Perhaps it will take more than that. Some say a structural change is necessary, such as in policies that must be reshaped to make the higher education marketplace more transparent and competitive. But that might not be such an easy thing to accomplish. According to another Wall Street Journal report, governing boards themselves do not even know all the data.
One popular strategy that seems to be gaining traction involves the idea of a tuition free college education. The Campaign for Free College Tuition (CFCT) has been working to build a strong coalition of community, education, and business leaders to establish programs that eliminate tuition for the sake of a sound economy in the future.
Ryan Morgan, CFCT’s CEO, told U.S. RESIST DEMOCRACY NEWS that over the past ten years, 34 states have implemented some sort of free tuition program. The Michigan Reconnect program has proved the most comprehensive, as it provides free tuition for anybody in the state over 25 years old and has its eyes on lowering the minimum age to 21. Massachusetts has been developing a similar model, while other states are watching very closely.
At the federal level, President Biden’s 2024-25 budget includes a $500 million allotment for a free tuition pilot program aimed at select two-year colleges. If these programs are successful, the administration estimates that providing free tuition for two-year schools would cost $90 billion over 10 years. Morgan adds if we include funding for those students who choose to move on to a four-year college, that overall cost could fall roughly somewhere between $9-$18 billion a year.
That may seem like a lot, but improving accessibility to higher education in this country must begin somewhere. As Morgan says “If we’re able to set a baseline for making even two-year community college free, it will prompt a lot of other changes in the education system.”
The whole debate over tuition for many has become a way to criticize and devalue higher education. But there’s enough research that supports the idea that higher education is vital to the country’s place in the world economy, not to mention the future of democracy. The idea of making it affordable supports itself.
Engagement Resources:
- More information on CFCT’s commitment to cost free, higher education can be found on their site: https://www.freecollegenow.org/
- For information on the Michigan Reconnect program, click here.
- The Education Trust is a progressive organization that seeks to remove obstacles to public education. Learn more about their efforts towards college affordability by clicking here.