Ensuring Affordability of Higher Education

By Mary Branham Dusenberry

The cost of higher education across the country is skyrocketing. Tuition is increasing at a much faster pace than family income, and states are working to ensure higher education doesn’t become out of reach for the neediest students.

While states are strapped for funding in these tough economic times, some experts in higher education financing say there are ways to ensure tuition increases don’t get out of control.

Former Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton, who was recently appointed to the state’s Council on Postsecondary Education, said states should ensure universities are operating at high levels of efficiency. “If your institutions are running reasonably efficiently, if you cut funding, you’re going to cut quality or quantity,” he said.