States Cut Higher Ed Budgets While Demand for College Degrees Seen to Rise

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) outlines the competing ideas of cutting the state budgets for higher education while the need for workers to attain a college decree increases in an online article.

NCSL cites a number of states who have cut their higher education budget, from California, which cut its budget by $1.4 billion to Georgia, which raised tuition at the University of Georgia by 46% over two years.

On the flip side, the article notes that the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a Colorado-based education policy organization, states that by 2025, 55% of all jobs in the U.S. will require at least an associate’s degree.

The article suggests a few solutions. One is to tie funding to meeting targets for student retention and graduation. Another is increasing state colleges’ online presence.