Report Fails 49 States on College Affordability

 

Excerpted from Press of Atlantic City - Diane D'Amico, December 3, 2008

 

College may be expensive in New Jersey, but it's just as unaffordable in almost every other state.

A biennial report by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education gave out F grades in affordability to every state but California, which got a C only because its two-year community colleges are inexpensive.

 

That's worse than the failing grade given to 43 states two years ago when New Jersey got a D.  The affordability grade is based on how much of the average family income in that state it costs to attend college, even after financial aid.  In New Jersey, that percentage rose from 19 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2008, according to the "Measuring Up" report.

 

The report noted New Jersey provides more financial aid to low-income students than most other states, but poor and working-class families still must devote 40 percent of their income to pay for college.  The result has been more families borrowing more money.

 

Patrick Callan, director of the center, said the United States needs to have a national conversation on college financing or the country could begin to see fewer people attending college.

 

Low-income families have been hit hardest.  Nationally, enrollment at local public colleges 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.

 

New Jersey's public colleges have already been hit by state funding cuts to higher education, which have contributed to annual tuition hikes of between 7 percent and 10 percent over the past several years.

 

Paul Shelly, spokesman for the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities, said there should be a joint effort with the state Legislature to look at multiple ways to keep college affordable.

 

"There may be several models that work," he said.