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Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State and local funding for public colleges up 18% from pre-pandemic levels, SHEEO says
This story was originally published on Higher Ed Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Higher Ed Dive newsletter. State and local funding for public colleges increased 0.8% above inflation in fiscal 2024, reaching $11,683 per full-time equivalent student, according to a report released Wednesday by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. Total state and local appropriations reached $139.1 billion, though that figure includes more than $624.1 million in federal stimulus funding directed by the states. While this funding has been "cushioning state budgets, allowing states to continue supporting higher education," it has also been declining, the report noted. The gradual depletion of stimulus money portends tougher times ahead. 'States may face difficult budgetary decisions' as federal money runs out, SHEEO said in a news release. Last fiscal year, funding from state and local governments hit levels 17.9% above those seen in pre-pandemic times. And more good news from the report: Between fiscal years 2023 and 2024, FTE enrollment rose from 10.1 million students to 10.4 million, marking the first enrollment increase after 12 years of declines, according to SHEEO. Now for the bad news: Fiscal 2024 saw the largest decline in tuition revenue per FTE student since 1980, the first year in SHEEO's State Higher Education Finance data set. Net tuition and fee revenue per FTE at public institutions averaged $7,510, down 3.7% from 2023 when adjusted for inflation. The figure has declined for five of the past six years after decades of tuition revenue increases due to rising tuition prices as well as shares of out-of-state, international and graduate enrollment. Even the enrollment increases come with a caveat — 2024 headcounts are still down 10.8% from their peak in 2011. These historically lower levels are weighing on tuition revenue, keeping prices flat against inflation. Given the tough demographic landscape for colleges going forward, further enrollment increases will likely be hard won. Looking more closely at spending, state and local appropriations per FTE decreased 3.3% at two-year institutions but increased 1.8% at four-year institutions, the report noted. Without federal stimulus funding directed by states to higher education, inflation-adjusted education appropriations still would have increased 1.8% from 2023. The report also noted that 22 states' appropriations to higher education remain below Great Recession levels, chief among them being Arizona (40.3% below 2008 levels), Iowa (29.9% below) and Delaware (29.8% below). 'With uncertainty on the horizon for federal and state budgets alike, we know states will be under greater pressure to fund higher education,' SHEEO President Robert Anderson said in a statement. 'While each state is facing its own unique circumstances, we hope lawmakers will continue to view public higher education as an investment in their state's future workforce.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
30-04-2025
- Business
180-year-old private South Carolina university closing after fundraising drive fails
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- A 180-year-old private Christian university in South Carolina is closing at the end of the semester after failing to raise $6 million to keep its doors open. Limestone University officials said that after two weeks of furious fundraising and other actions, they collected just a little over $2 million and had no choice but to close its campus in Gaffney and its online programs. 'Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world,' said Randall Richardson, chair of Limestone University's trustees. 'Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on.' The university stunned its students, alumni and community when it announced earlier in April without warning that it was in such bad financial shape that without an immediate infusion of $6 million it would have to close. More than 200 people gave a total of about $2.1 million, but it was not enough. The university said the donations will be returned. South Carolina lawmakers decided not to step in because Limestone University is a private institution. Private colleges and universities like Limestone have been closing at a rate of about two per month, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. More colleges around the country have been closing as they cope with steep declines in enrollment, a consequence of both changing demographics and the effects of the pandemic. Tens of thousands of students suddenly find their college careers in limbo and a number of them never return to school. Limestone University promised to help all its students transfer to other schools. The closure will also leave several hundred professors and support staff without jobs in Gaffney, a city of about 12,500 people on Interstate 85 between Charlotte. North Carolina, and Spartanburg. About 50 students gathered outside where trustees met Tuesday night and hugged as they got the email announcing the university was closing. Daniel Deneen Jr. of Myrtle Beach played football for Limestone and was jarred that he had to change his plans for his education. 'When we found out the school had $30 million in debt, we all wondered how they were going to get out of it. The last two weeks have been very stressful with finals coming up this week.,' Deneen told The Post and Courier. Limestone University, founded in 1845, will hold its final commencement Saturday. Limestone isn't the only college in the region to announce it is closing this month. St. Andrews University about 150 miles away in Laurinburg, North Carolina, will close on Sunday after the spring semester. The school is a branch campus of Webber International University.
The Independent
30-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
A 180-year-old private South Carolina university is closing after a $6M fundraising drive fails
A 180-year-old private Christian university in South Carolina is closing at the end of the semester after failing to raise $6 million to keep its doors open. Limestone University officials said that after two weeks of furious fundraising and other actions, they collected just a little over $2 million and had no choice but to close its campus in Gaffney and its online programs. 'Our Limestone spirit will endure through the lives of our students and alumni who carry it forward into the world,' said Randall Richardson, chair of Limestone University's trustees. 'Though our doors may close, the impact of Limestone University will live on.' The university stunned its students, alumni and community when it announced earlier in April without warning that it was in such bad financial shape that without an immediate infusion of $6 million it would have to close. More than 200 people gave a total of about $2.1 million, but it was not enough. The university said the donations will be returned. South Carolina lawmakers decided not to step in because Limestone University is a private institution. Private colleges and universities like Limestone have been closing at a rate of about two per month, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. More colleges around the country have been closing as they cope with steep declines in enrollment, a consequence of both changing demographics and the effects of the pandemic. Tens of thousands of students suddenly find their college careers in limbo and a number of them never return to school. Limestone University promised to help all its students transfer to other schools. The closure will also leave several hundred professors and support staff without jobs in Gaffney, a city of about 12,500 people on Interstate 85 between Charlotte. North Carolina, and Spartanburg. About 50 students gathered outside where trustees met Tuesday night and hugged as they got the email announcing the university was closing. Daniel Deneen Jr. of Myrtle Beach played football for Limestone and was jarred that he had to change his plans for his education. 'When we found out the school had $30 million in debt, we all wondered how they were going to get out of it. The last two weeks have been very stressful with finals coming up this week.,' Deneen told The Post and Courier. Limestone University, founded in 1845, will hold its final commencement Saturday. Limestone isn't the only college in the region to announce it is closing this month. St. Andrews University about 150 miles away in Laurinburg, North Carolina, will close on Sunday after the spring semester. The school is a branch campus of Webber International University.
Washington Post
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
More state colleges are admitting students — before they apply
More states are easing the stress of the college search by letting high school students know they are promised admission before they even apply. It is a paradigm shift in the often tedious admissions process that can require students to spend lots of time and money with no guarantee of success. States say they are hoping to keep talent close to home and develop an educated workforce. They are turning to a 'direct admission' model that matches students with local colleges based on their grades and sending a powerful message that postsecondary education — whether vocational training or a bachelor's degree — is within reach. The number of state-run, direct admissions programs has jumped from one in 2015 to more than a dozen today, including: Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington, Indiana, Hawaii, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Texas, California, New York and Oregon. Five of those states adopted the policy in 2024. Several other states have introduced legislation this year, including Arkansas, or have pilot programs in the works. While individual colleges and online admissions platforms such as the Common Application have been experimenting with direct admissions for years, the increase in state-run programs could have a tremendous impact on the movement, said John Lane, vice president for academic affairs and equity initiatives at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. 'Having state higher education offices and systems on board brings scale, resources and perspective,' Lane said. 'It also increases the long-term sustainability of direct admissions.' Part of the appeal of direct admissions is that it is a race-neutral way to increase diversity. The Biden administration had urged colleges to explore the policy after the Supreme Court in 2023 struck down the use of race-conscious affirmative action in admissions. And as the Trump administration pressures colleges and universities to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion practices, more states and individual institutions are likely to turn to direct admissions, higher education experts say. 'By being universal, direct admissions is race-blind,' said Jennifer A. Delaney, associate professor of higher education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 'So in the aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling, it's become attractive for states to move the needle a bit on equity measures without having a race-specific policy.' Direct admissions programs build on guaranteed admissions policies popularized by Texas, in which high school students in the top percentage of their graduating class are automatically admitted to certain public colleges. The newer programs are more inclusive and proactive in informing students of their options and the requirements to enroll. Still, the movement has challenges. An offer alone is not enough to get students to enroll when their ability to pay for college remains an open question. And enrollment is no guarantee of graduation. State direct admissions programs vary in scope and design. Utah's program features all 16 of its public colleges and universities, while California's is focused on the 10 campuses of the California State University system. Minnesota, Idaho and Wisconsin use data-sharing agreements with high schools to pull students' transcripts for information. Connecticut and Illinois, which use the online platform Common Application for their programs, rely on self-reported student data that is later verified. In most cases, colleges and universities are given a choice to participate and can set a GPA threshold that students need to meet to be automatically admitted. Students usually receive a letter early in their senior year with a list of schools where they are guaranteed admission and must then submit an application to the school of their choice. When Anna Miranda received a letter in the mail listing the nearly 50 Minnesota colleges that admitted her in 2022, the St. Paul native wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Until that point, she had not heard of the state's direct admissions program and wondered if the notice was an advertisement. 'It was a little confusing,' Miranda said. 'But after I brought it up to my high school counselor, she explained and I was just relieved.' Among the list of schools was Miranda's top choice — Augsburg University. Knowing that the private university in Minneapolis wanted her allowed Miranda to 'stop stressing' and start focusing on enrolling, which she did the following fall. There was always a question of whether college was in her future, said Miranda, 19, a political science major in her sophomore year. Her parents supported the idea but weren't certain they could afford it. And as the first in her family to go to college, Miranda didn't know how to navigate the process. 'Getting the letter kind of knocked down a barrier,' she said. 'It made me feel more confident.' One of the big selling points for direct admissions is the way it engages first-generation students like Miranda, said Stephanie Ruckel, director of strategic enrollment at Augsburg. The policy, she said, eases the fear of rejection and encourages students to ask more probing questions about whether the school is a fit. Wendy Robinson, assistant commissioner for programs, policy and grants at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education, said direct admissions also makes clear that most colleges are eager to accept students, a reality that is lost in all of the public attention on highly selective schools. 'Students hear a lot of narratives around how hard it is to get into college,' said Robinson. 'The truth is that the majority of colleges accept the majority of their applicants the majority of the time.' To change the narrative, Minnesota set out in 2022 to include public, private and tribal colleges in the lineup of schools in its direct admissions pipeline. All of the more than 50 schools participating in the Minnesota program waive their application fees and most don't require an essay or standardized test scores. The same is largely true for the direct admissions programs in Wisconsin, South Dakota and Idaho. Having pioneered the direct admissions model in 2015, Idaho has fine-tuned its program. Sara Scudder at Idaho's Office of the State Board of Education said the state has changed the criteria five times — lowering the GPA threshold and eliminating SAT requirements — simplified its online application and increased awareness through videos and social media posts. Those efforts have increased first-time undergraduate enrollment by an average of 50 to 100 students per participating campus in Idaho, with the strongest gains at community colleges, according to a 2022 study of the state program. Taylor Odle, assistant professor of educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and co-author of the study, said the results show that states shouldn't solely focus on high-achieving students when designing direct admissions programs. 'This behavioral nudge is going to be most effective for the people who didn't know that college was an option for them, and those are most often students who fall further down the academic gradient,' Odle said. Yolanda Watson Spiva, who runs the nonprofit Complete College America, said colleges must provide academic and social support to directly admitted students to ensure they graduate. A proponent of the admissions strategy, she said it could yield the best results as part of a continuum in college completion, not a stand-alone initiative. 'Access alone won't address the challenges that historically disadvantaged and underrepresented students are likely to face once they arrive on campus,' she said. 'This has to be holistic.' Getting students with few financial resources to enroll remains a significant challenge for the direct admissions movement. Odle and Delaney's study of Idaho found that its direct admissions policy had little to no effect on the enrollment of students whose household earnings were low enough to qualify for the federal Pell Grant. A separate 2023 study conducted by the pair, using Common App data across four states, also found minimal impact on enrollment, even though the admissions policy resulted in more applications from minority, first-generation and low-income students. State leaders say the next evolution of direct admissions is to pair admission offers with financial aid awards. That may mean using the same data that determines whether a student is qualified for admission to determine their qualification for institutional or state-based scholarships. Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Wynn Rosser said the state is exploring possibilities as it builds out its new direct admissions initiative, which was launched in 2024 with 31 universities. 'The most significant barrier students and families tell us about is being concerned about cost, being concerned about debt,' Rosser said. 'If we can send the message that there is a place for you and you can afford it, then we want to send that message early and consistently.'
Boston Globe
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Salem State has become a hub of Latino higher ed in Mass. Now that's under threat.
The designation opens universities to receive federal funding that aims to help students of color achieve the same outcomes as their whiter and more well-to-do peers. That money can prove essential for the survival of minority-serving institutions themselves, many of which are public schools already grappling with underfunded budgets. MSIs typically rely on federal funding to support as much as a quarter of their total revenue, said Jessica Colorado, a policy analyst at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, and per-student federal funding for Hispanic-serving institutions is Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Since 2020, Now that money is under threat. Even as Salem State is looking to finalize its HSI designation, the Trump administration is eliminating benefits for minority-serving institutions through Peter Wood, who heads the right-leaning National Association of Scholars, said that while historically Black institutions and the tribal colleges 'long predate the rise of DEI' and should have their funding maintained, Hispanic-serving institutions fall into a newer category. Advertisement 'You just have to be an institution that gets really aggressive on its admission of contemporary Hispanic students, so it's much more DEI-like than historically rooted,' Wood said. More broadly, White House threats to federal funding also jeopardize longstanding academic programs and financial aid Salem State already offers its roughly 6,000 students. To university president John Keenan, the federal funding freeze announced, 'It felt like full crisis mode all over again,' Keenan said. Yet Salem State has no plans to change course. Its The university also kept on Elisa Castillo as the assistant vice president for HSI-MSI initiatives, a position that Salem State says is the first of its kind in the state. An immigrant herself, Castillo spends her days brainstorming classroom supports for Latino students and coordinating events, from an appearance by John Quiñone from 'What Would You Do?' in 2023 to a hip-hop symposium this month. Much of her focus lies in creating 'high-impact opportunities,' such as paid internships and study-abroad trips to China or Puerto Rico — Castillo's homeland — for students who feel that sort of thing may be out of reach. If MSI funding goes away, it will likely be her job to find philanthropic funding and state grants instead. Advertisement 'We're in it to do the work, regardless of whether the presidential administration or the federal grants shift,' Castillo said. 'We are here to serve our community and students.' Those students reflect the demographic shifts of the nation as a whole, and the North Shore in particular. Salem State draws many of its students from expanding Latino enclaves north of Boston, including Chelsea, Lynn, and Lawrence. Today, 25 percent of Salem State students identify as Hispanic or Latino, many of them Puerto Rican or Dominican; 8 percent are Black. Salem State University in Salem. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Keenan, the president, calls his students 'gritty' as a compliment. Roughly half the students at Salem State are the first in their families to attend college, and many hold down jobs in addition to their course load. What's more, he notes, most stick around after graduating; 80 percent of Salem State grads stay in Massachusetts, becoming the teachers, social workers, and nurses the state needs desperately. By one measure, nearly 80 percent of all new workers joining the American labor force over the next five years will be Latino, cementing themselves as a core driver of the economy, said Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. 'If these institutions are not designed to prepare a diverse workforce that is much more savvy about technology, math, and science-based fields, the entire country will suffer,' he added. 'Regions like Massachusetts will be in pain without their labor.' Massachusetts has eight other HSIs — community colleges and smaller private schools — and they already have a big impact. Half of the students at those HSIs are awarded Pell Grants, a rate twice as high as non-HSIs, and the institutions award more than half of associate's degrees earned by Latinos statewide, according to Advertisement HSIs also demographics, by providing targeted tutoring and multilingual support, for example, said Marybeth Gasman, associate dean for Research at Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Critics point to research showing that funding for HSIs is often simply funneled into universities' general budgets, rather than to programs targeted at underserved students. A directed all of the money to student-specific initiatives — two of which were actually 'Latino centered.' 'When you see those numbers, it can be discouraging,' said Rebecca Perdomo, an author of the study and a higher education consultant. 'It's not going to targeted supports as often as you would it to be.' But that may partly be because the schools that qualify for HSI are broadly underfunded, Perdomo added. A report last spring by the US Government Accountability Office found 'People get their expectations high about HSI funding. Then when you have to distribute, something goes to academic affairs over here, something goes to the library over there. That money runs out before you know it,' said Lorna Rivera, Director for the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at UMass Boston. 'They use it to plug up holes where there have been gaps already.' Advertisement Even without any HSI funds to date, Salem State has made do. It hosted a two-day conference for Hispanic and Minority Serving Institutions in July, which Elisa Castillo, assistant vice president for HSI-MSI initiatives at Salem State University. Salem State is set to become the first four-year public school in Massachusetts to earn the federal designation 'Hispanic Serving Institution,' which would make the school eligible for federal funding that is now uncertain. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff For Morelia Morel Diaz, a 21-year-old biology major and president of the Latin American Student Organization, those small steps count for a lot. Her family moved from the Dominican Republic to Mississippi a decade ago, and she chose to go to college 1,500 miles away at attend Salem State because of its promises of small classes and diversity. The burgeoning HSI program is only adding to her feeling that she made the right choice. 'Hispanic students can be discouraged by the lack of representation we see in our fields, but to see so many of us here together doing it and killing it, achieving those goals, and breaking those barriers, is amazing,' she said. 'A lot of the time, that potential has not been properly supported.' Hilary Burns of the Globe staff contributed to this report. This story was produced by the Globe's team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter . Diti Kohli can be reached at
