Demos Think Tank Releases Report on Rising College Prices and the New American Student

Title: The Unaffordable Era: A 50-state Look at Rising College Prices and the New American Student

Source: Demos

Author: Mark Huelsman

Date: February 2018

Demos, a New York-based public policy think tank, released a report focusing on the affordability and funding issues in public colleges across the 50 states, and among racially diverse college student populations.

According to the report, compared to the tuition rates for public colleges and universities in 2001, tuition now makes up a larger proportion of institutional revenue in 49 out of 50 states. Looking at the relation between tuition revenue and student funding, those states that receive less funding to support students in public colleges tend to be more dependent on their tuition revenue.

In addition, the report also indicates that in 22 states, students from low-income working-class families still pay an average net price of $10,000 per year for public 4-year colleges. In 38 states, low-income students have to work over 20 hours per week in order to not take on student loan debt to pay for college. Looking at race, compared to white families, black and Latino families face heavier burdens associated with college tuition and fees in many states.

To find out more findings, please download the report here.