Another new theme that emerged in the February 2011 survey was concern over the costs of higher education. While both the first and second wave of responses relating to education focused on the achievement gap and the implication of public budget shortfalls on K-12 schools in LMI communities, this wave also highlighted the gap in access to college funding. Across the board, respondents noted that existing and emerging employment sectors increasingly demand higher-skilled workers with a college education, and that the cost of higher education will create barriers for youth in LMI communities to access job opportunities in the future. Respondents also raised concerns about rising educational debt.
Figure 5: The Rising Cost of Higher Education
Source: Measuring Up 2008, The National Report Card on Higher Education. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Figure 5 shows the growing challenge of paying for college for LMI families. Even after financial aid, annual tuition for a four-year college represented 55 percent of their income in 2007-8, compared with only 9 percent for high-income families. In addition, the increase over the past decade has been much larger for low-income families. This disparate cost burden has significant implications not only for who can attend college, but also for who can complete their degree. Research has shown that students with significant college cost burdens – especially when those costs entail having to work more than 20 hours a week - are less likely to graduate.
