Some states have begun to restore funding cuts to higher education, but the amount of money for colleges and universities remains far below previous levels.
Of the states that have enacted full higher-education budgets for the current school year, funding for public two- and four-year colleges is $8.7 billion below what it was just before the recession, according to a new study released Thursday by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Nationally, state spending on higher education is down an average of $1,525 per student, or 17 percent in the current school year, compared to the 2007-2008 school year. Georgia’s decline in student spending is above the national average: 19.8 percent less than pre-recession levels, when adjusted for inflation, the report found.
The effect of years of budget cuts is evident in Georgia where state funding, which used to account for 75 percent of public college budgets, has dropped to 50 percent. The other half is made up mainly by students and parents through tuition.
In Georgia, and five other states (Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii and Louisiana), tuition at four-year schools is up more than 60 percent since the 2007-2008 school year, the new report found, increasing faster than the growth in median income. The tuition hikes have led to many students not being able to keep up with the growing costs. Despite increases in federal student aid and the availability of tax credits, some students have been forced to delay their education, take on more debt or drop out of school.
Students will gt a reprieve in the fall from years of tuition increases at Georgia's public colleges. The Board of Regents for the state's University System enacted a tuition freeze for all 29 institutions in the system.
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