Wisconsin is among the many U.S. states lagging in higher education affordability, according to a report released Wednesday.
Measuring Up, The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education's bi-annual report card for each state's higher education quality, grades each state according to categories such as preparation of young people for college, degree completion and higher education affordability.
The report gave 49 states, including Wisconsin, a failing grade in affordability.
In Wisconsin, the percentage of a household's income needed to fund higher education has increased for community, public and private colleges, according to the report. The state has increased its investment in need-based financial aid since 2000, but is still lacking compared to other states.
We've been strong advocates for greater public and private investments in need- based financial aid, and this report illustrates how such investments lead to improved student access,"" UW System President Kevin Reilly said in a statement.
Wisconsin was ranked lower in affordability than some states with higher tuition, and the reason for this, according to UW System Spokesperson David Giroux, is Wisconsin's fairly low amount of need-based financial aid.
According to Giroux, growing Wisconsin's investments in financial aid would improve its affordability ranking, despite the possibility tuition may increase more than usual due to the state's projected $5.4 billion budget shortfall.
""If tuition must go up, and if in this present crisis it must go up more than it would otherwise, then we've got to make corresponding investments in need-based financial aid,"" Giroux said.
The report also highlighted the 20 percent gap between whites and minorities enrolled in college in Wisconsin.
""It's a long-standing problem - one where the state as a whole needs to focus more of its attention,"" Giroux said.
One area in which Wisconsin excelled, however, was completion, as a large proportion of its students receive degrees and most college freshman in the state return after their first year, according to the report.
