Report: College enrollment affected by state funding

Idaho college students are more likely to graduate with debt than students in almost every other state. That is the finding of a new report on higher education finance by the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy. The report also found that state funding has declined, relative to the cost of providing higher education, over the past three decades. As a result, Idaho’s college students face rising tuition and fees. The share of Idaho high school graduates directly enrolling in college has fallen from 54 percent in 2012 to just 46 percent in 2016. In 1980, tuition and fees covered 7 percent of the cost of higher education. In 2016 tuition and fees covered 46 percent of the cost. The average inflation-adjusted cost of a year of education ($6,670) was five times higher in 2016 than it was in 1980 ($1,252). The center found the reduction of state investment coincided with a lack of progress towards the state’s educational goals. Lauren Necochea, Director of the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy, said: “While the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force is developing strategies to meet our workforce development needs, it is a prudent moment to examine whether our state investment is appropriate for our desired outcomes.” Necochea continued, “Although tuition and fees at Idaho’s college and universities are lower than in many other states, the state also provides comparatively less financial aid. Idaho ranks second in the nation for percentage of graduates who are indebted and our completion rate is substantially lower than the national average.” Cost is a frequently cited reason for non-completion. Step Ahead Idaho educational consultant Sue Lovelace said “Past generations are familiar with the idea of working one’s way through college, but the math looks much different today. Students feel discouraged and frightened by the high cost and the impossibility of finding the money to attend. For many Idaho families, college feels like too big a risk to take.” The Governor’s Higher Education Task Force meets Friday. The full Center for Fiscal Policy report is available here.