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New Report on NC Higher Education Cuts in Context

Ahead of the release of the Governor’s budget tomorrow, new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities [1] puts North Carolina’s cuts to higher education in the context of nationwide trends.  The result of state budget cuts to public universities in North Carolina and across the country has been higher costs for students and families.

North Carolina increased public university tuition by 31 percent according to this analysis.  Research shows that these tuition increases will impact low-income students’ enrollment and completion.

This will only make worse the already significant enrollment and completion gap that exists by socio-economic status greater.  Already among high qualified students [2], high-income students are twice as likely to enroll in 4-year universities than low-income students.

As the author’s of the study write:

This research suggests that states should strive to expand college access and increase college graduation rates to help build a strong middle class and develop the skilled workforce needed to compete in today’s global economy. It suggests further that the severe higher education funding cuts that states have made since the start of the recession will make it harder to achieve those goals.

Let’s hope we see the Governor move to reinvest in higher education tomorrow.