Dive Brief:
- For the third year in a row, Young Invincibles has released a state-by-state report card relating to higher education, finding major disinvestment by states and a growing gap in degree attainment between the white population and that of blacks and Latinos.
- Louisiana spent 41% less on higher education per student in 2014 than it did in 2008, topping the list, and only Alaska and North Dakota bucked the trend, spending at least as much as before the recession, though 36 states have increased spending from last year to this year.
- State disinvestment, coupled with increasing tuition at colleges, has caused an increase in the portion of tuition students and families pay — in Vermont and New Hampshire, students pay more than 80%, and the average has gone from students paying 36% in 2008 to 50% in 2014.
Dive Insight:
The percentage of blacks and Latinos who get college degrees is increasing. The growing attainment gap is a reflection of faster progress among whites. According to the Young Invincibles report, the gap between whites and Latinos increased by 2.2% and the gap between whites and blacks grew by .4%.
Throughout the population, 22.6% of Latino adults now have college degrees, 33.6% of blacks do, and nearly 47% of whites do. Colleges can claim at least a small victory in knowing, for each group, the overall numbers are going up.
When it comes to spending, most states are starting to spend more. But legislators cannot be left to celebrate based on flat dollar amounts. State investment is not keeping up with the growing student population.