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6 July 25, 2011 www.ccweek.com

I t’s an article of faith for higher education poli- cymakers across the country: while tuition at four-year colleges is increasing at a dizzying pace, community colleges offer an affordable alternative for millions of students.

According to a new report, however, graduating from a community college — the only affordable avenue available for millions of underprivileged and minority students seeking a college education — is becoming out of reach for growing numbers of stu- dents as tuition increases continue to outpace the rise in family income.

Many states, mean- while, are reducing higher education spending as they struggle to close yawning budget deficits, threatening community college access, especially for those students who tra- ditionally have relied on the 2-year institutions, according to a report issued by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

“Many students are not able to keep pace with rising tuition, because family earnings have lost ground over

C O V E R S T O R Y

A Graduating

Report: Costlier Colleges Threaten Access BY PAUL BRADLEY

Thousands of community college students donned caps and gowns and graduated this spring. But a new report suggests that the escalating cost of attending community college is limiting access

for students who most rely on the institutions.

“If current trends continue, more students will be priced out of higher education altogether.”

— NATIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY AND HIGHER

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www.ccweek.com July 25, 2011 7

the past decade,” the report said. “Median family income, adjusted for inflation, declined in the United States over the past decade. At the same time, tuition at two- and four-year colleges increased at a rate faster than inflation or family income, and student financial assistance did not keep pace, exacerbating the college affordability and college completion problems.”

“Concerns about college affordability have most likely been driving many stu- dents to community colleges. If current trends continue, more students will be priced out of higher education altogether,” the report said.

The report found that tuition rates at community colleges rose faster than family income in every state except Maine since 1999. In California, home of the nation’s largest community college system, the cost of attending community college increased 77 percent between 1999 and 2009, while median family income increased just 5 per- cent, the report said.

Patrick Callan, founder and executive director of the California-based center, said the report documents a trend that has been under way for 30 years. Over that time, the cost of college has increased even faster than the cost of health care, and much more than inflation or family income.

Galloping Increases

The economic downturn has only worsened the situation and undermines the country’s goal of producing more college graduates.

“This is just not a sustainable trend if your goal is to get more people into and through college,” Callan said. “These kinds of price increases when the economy is bad, and families are being squeezed anyway, tend to cause some people not to go to college at all.”

The report comes at a time when the White House, national foundations and states are pursuing ambitious initiatives to increase the number of Americans who earn associate and baccalaureate degrees and postsecondary certificates. These initiatives include better tracking of college comple- tion rates and incentives for colleges to improve student success.

But these policies could fall short if they fail to improve the affordability of two- and four-year colleges and the transfer pathway from community colleges to four-year col- leges and universities. These issues have a significant impact on student success but policymakers have often found them diffi- cult to address, the report said.

“Because so many students who seek a bachelor’s degree begin at community col- leges, initiatives to improve baccalaureate completion should incorporate policies and practices that explicitly address college affordability and transfer,” the report said. “Even the most thoughtful and well-inten- tioned policies will be very limited in their effectiveness if they fail to address these critical issues that reflect the real-life cir- cumstances and constraints confronting stu- dents seeking, often struggling, to earn bachelor’s degrees.”

“Community colleges are more crucial than ever, but state financial aid and transfer policies that enable students to move from two-year colleges to baccalaureate-granting institutions are not keeping pace with the need.”

A second, separate report documents that the average net cost of a community

S AN FRANCISCO (AP) — Califor-nia college students are bracing forhigher tuition bills and fewer courses and campus services under a new state budget that once again slashes spending on higher education.

The budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown inflicts the latest blow to Califor- nia’s renowned higher education system, which has helped make the state an eco- nomic powerhouse and served as a model for other states and countries.

Over the past three years, California’s public colleges and universities have seen deep cuts in state funding that have dra- matically raised the cost of attendance, forced campuses to turn away qualified students and eroded the quality of class- room instruction.

Under the newly approved state budg- et, the 10-campus University of California and 23-campus California State Universi- ty will each lose at least $650 million in state funding, a cut of more than 20 per- cent. The two systems could each face another $100 million cut if the state takes in less revenue than expected.

The 112-campus community college system will lose $400 million in state funding and fees will increase from $26 to $36 per unit. The system could lose anoth- er $72 million and raise fees to $46 per unit if revenue projections fall short.

UC officials said they will recommend that the Board of Regents consider raising undergraduate tuition by an additional 9.6 percent to offset the deeper-than-expected funding cut. Tuition is already set to rise 8 percent this fall to about $12,000, about three times what students paid a decade ago.

In an interview with The Associated Press, UC President Mark Yudof said higher tuition will cause hardship for many students, but he sees little choice when the university faces a $1 billion budget shortfall driven by rising costs and shrinking public support.

His biggest worry is losing the aca- demic talent that has made UC one of the world’s top research universities, Yudof said. UC San Diego recently lost three star scientists to Rice University, a deep-pock-

eted private institution in Houston. “You can’t starve this university for

many years without there being conse- quences,” Yudof said. “There’s going to be a lot of pain. I don’t deny that. But on my watch we’re not going to see a dilution of the quality of the University of Califor- nia.”

The prospect of rising tuition is weigh- ing heavily on students like Dior Sweeney, a UC Berkeley senior who works two jobs while going to school but still expects to graduate with more than $20,000 in student loans to repay.

“I’m really worried about how I’m going to pay for rent, transportation and food,” said Sweeney, a liberal arts major. “It’s definitely stressful, especially with the economy the way it is. So many peo- ple I know can’t even get jobs with a B.A. What kind of job am I going to get to pay off all these loans?”

California State University students are also bracing for another tuition hike — on top of a previously approved 10 per- cent increase that will bring in-state tuition to $4,884, more than three times what CSU charged 10 years ago. Campus- es may also have to reduce their teaching staffs and turn away more students to save money.

Sadaf Malik, a biology student at San

Calif. College Students Brace For More State Budget Cuts

BY TERENCE CHEA, ASSOCIATED PRESS

University of California Berkeley student Dior Sweeney poses for a photograph on campus in Berkeley. California college students are expecting bigger tuition bills but fewer courses because of a state

budget that slashes spending on higher education.

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The 112-campus community college system will lose $400 million in state funding, and fees will increase from $26 to $36 per unit.

See Crisis page 8, col. 1

See Budget Cuts page 8, col. 1

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college education is $6,780 a year, though many colleges cost much more. Florida Keys Community College, for example, has an aver- age annual net cost of $23,515 a year, more than any other public two-year college in the country. Great Bay Community College, in New Hampshire, ranks second with an average annual net cost of $17,980.

Net cost is defined as cost of attendance, minus scholarship and grant aid. The Education Depart- ment says those “sticker prices” better reflect out-of-pocket atten- dance costs than do tuition costs.

The numbers come from the U.S. Department of Education’s new College Affordability and Transparency Center, a new website (collegecost.ed.gov.catc) that fulfills a requirement passed into law in 2008. The website tracks tuition costs among the top and bottom 5 percent of four-year and two-year schools. The meas- ures include public, private and for-profit colleges and universi- ties, and represent the first time the federal government has ranked colleges by affordability.

The center also tracks the rate of tuition increases, as well as the rate of increase in the average net price. Career college users inter- ested in a specific track can search by their area of interest, such as cosmetology or automotive repair.

Tracking Costs

“Given the energy and com- mitment that families make to the process ... this information is very useful,” said David Bergeron, the Education Department’s deputy assistant secretary for policy, plan- ning and innovation.

The new reporting standard requires schools with the highest costs or largest increases to explain them and develop plans to mitigate the increases. The specif- ic reporting requirements are still being developed, officials said.

Education officials also acknowledge the data’s limita- tions. For instance, the cost of attendance of some costly colleges include fees that peer institutions

calculate separately. And while the new lists highlight schools at the very top and bottom, they don’t account for the other 90 percent of institutions.

“This is really a tool that allows students and families to see the highs and lows,” Bergeron said. “You really don’t see the large middle.”

The new ED data shows that South Texas College is the most affordable college in the country among schools with an enrollment of more than 5,000. Though founded as a community college and defined in most quarters as such, South Texas College appears as a four-year college in the rank- ing because it offers several four-

year degrees in applied sciences. The ranking system said the net price of attending STC is $1,317. That’s compared to a national average of $10,747.

STC quickly sent out a news release trumpeting its top ranking.

“This is a very proud day for not only our institution, but the entire Rio Grande Valley and pio- neering community colleges like ours that have focused on provid- ing quality bachelor’s degrees, always with the idea in mind of giving our students an affordable pathway to create a better life for them and their families,” said William Serrata, STC vice president for student affairs and enrollment management.

“We serve primarily first- generation college students from two of the poorest counties in the

nation, thus we are committed to keeping costs affordable so we can continue giving students a path to upward social and eco- nomic mobility,” added Serrata. “That’s why we offer applied bachelor’s degrees, dual enroll- ment for more than 9,000 high school students and have main- tained five state-of-the-art cam- puses, as well as an online virtual campus. We are about open access and accessibility. We closely account for every penny we spend, ensuring we are get- ting the most bang for our institu- tion’s buck in order to facilitate student success. That translates into more opportunities and lower costs.”

Associated Press reports are included in this story.

8 July 25, 2011 www.ccweek.com

Francisco State University, said she and her father are working as many hours as they can to pay for her school bills. She has been tak- ing summer classes at a local com- munity college because she wasn’t able to get the courses she needs to graduate at SF State.

“I’m paying more for a poorer quality of education and fewer classes,” said Malik, 20, who hopes to go to medical school. “It seems every year I’m getting less

and less for my money.” The state budget cuts mean

California’s community colleges, which serve 2.75 million students, will be reducing course offerings despite record demand from high school graduates, returning war veterans and unemployed workers trying to learn new skills, said Dan Troy, the system’s vice chancellor for fiscal policy.

“The state has to get real about its priorities,” Troy said. “If we’re

serious about ensuring a bright economic future, funding higher education is a huge part of that.”

Democrats blamed Republi- cans for the deep cuts to higher education and other public servic- es because they refused to support the governor’s proposal to extend temporary increases to the sales, vehicle and income taxes the Leg- islature approved two years ago.

“Yes, you may have a little bit more money in your pocket, but at the same time, look at the impact on access for young people throughout California to be able to

get a higher education,” said Sen- ate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

Republicans fault Democrats for their unwillingness to go against union-controlled education spending, roll back public employ- ee pensions and make colleges more efficient.

“The Democrats have never offered any reform on any level of the education spectrum,” said Assemblyman Jeff Miller, R-Corona, a member of the Assembly higher education com- mittee.

William Tierney, director of the Center for Higher Education Poli- cy Analysis at the University of Southern California, said the budg- et cuts to colleges and universities could have a lasting impact on Cal- ifornia’s economy and future.

Without a major expansion of higher education, Tierney said, “We’re going to have an uneducat- ed work force. The jobs will go elsewhere. Clearly an uneducated work force doesn’t generate as much tax revenue.”

Comments: ccweekblog.wordpress.com

Crisis, from page 7, col. 1

Budget Cuts, from page 7, col. 5

The 20 Public, 2-year with Lowest Annual Net Prices

National Average: $6,780 Institution State Net Price(1)

Rowan-Cabarrus Community College N.C. $76 Gateway Technical College Wis. $220 Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de Ponce Puerto Rico $365 James Sprunt Community College N.C. $397 Nash Community College N.C. $481 Escuela De Troqueleria Y Herramentaje Puerto Rico $987 North Florida Community College Fla. $1,116 Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Mich. $1,171 Forsyth Technical Community College N.C. $1,178 Palau Community College Paleau $1,224 Fort Berthold Community College N.D. $1,268 Wytheville Community College Va. $1,335 Pamlico Community College N.C. $1,351 Northshore Technical College-Florida Parishes Branch Campus†La. $1,387 Roanoke-Chowan Community College N.C. $1,414 Chattahoochee Valley Community College Ala. $1,438 Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College W.V. $1,483 Pearl River Community College Miss. $1,515 Northwest Louisiana Technical College-Natchitoches Campus† La. $1,538 Roxbury Community College Mass. $1,654

Source: US Dept. of Education

(1) Net cost is defined as is the cost of attendance, minus scholarship and grant aid

The 20 Public, 2-year with Highest Annual Net Prices

National Average: $6,780

Institution State Net Price(1)

Florida Keys Community College Fla. $23,515 Great Bay Community College N.H. $17,980 Manchester Community College N.H. $17,487 Nashua Community College N.H. $17,465 Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Minn. $16,681 River Valley Community College N.H. $15,606 White Mountains Community College N.H. $15,495 Quincy College Mass. $15,389 Inver Hills Community College Minn. $15,083 Arkansas State University-Mountain Home Ark. $14,991 Ridge Career Center Fla. $14,598 NHTI-Concord’s Community College N.H. $14,568 Alexandria Technical College Minn. $14,464 Athens Technical College Ga. $14,421 Dakota County Technical College Minn. $14,282 D G Erwin Technical Center Fla. $14,058 NorthWest Arkansas Community College Ariz. $14,037 Anoka Technical College Minn. $13,978 University of Pittsburgh-Titusville Pa. $13,968 North Hennepin Community College Minn. $13,924

Source: US Department of Education

(1) Net cost is defined as the cost of attendance, minus scholarship and grant aid

The rising costs of college could put graduation out of

reach for many students.

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