off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Mapping State Funding Cuts for Higher Education
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Public colleges and universities have experienced major cuts in state funding since the Great Recession — something state lawmakers should consider as they grapple with tough budget decisions in coming months. Our new fact sheets show that, in almost every state, these funding cuts have led to tuition hikes. In some cases, they’ve also been accompanied by cuts in campus staff and programs that may reduce the quality of education for students.
As our 2014 paper explained, after adjusting for inflation:
Some 42 states began reinvesting in higher education between fiscal years 2013 and 2014. That’s a good first step. But if states are to continue reinvesting in higher education, they’ll need to make sound tax and budget decisions — including rejecting costly and ineffective tax cuts.
Click on the state abbreviation to jump to its fact sheet.
Note: North Dakota and Alaska are excluded from the fact sheets because they increased per-student higher ed funding between 2008 and 2014.