Cuts to Higher Education Funding Increase Inequality
A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examined how state higher education funding cuts are increasing college tuition, burdening students with more debt, and deterring enrollment for low-income and racially diverse students. In 2018, state funding for public two- and four-year colleges was $6.6 billion below the amount of funding in 2008, while the net price of a public four-year college increased by 24 percent. The increase in college tuition has disproportionately impacted students of color and students from low income families, as these students are increasingly deterred by the high cost and are less likely to enroll. Those who do enroll are burdened with a greater amount of debt, as 85 percent of black students graduate with student debt compared to 70 percent of white graduates.