College in PA beyond reach of most low- and middle-income families

[LucieTheLakie]

I knew it was bad here in PA, but it’s actually worse than I’d realized.

College affordability in Pennsylvania ranks as second worst state in the country, according to a new report.

The national report, 2016 College Affordability Diagnosis, documents how higher education has gone from expensive to unaffordable for most low- and middle-income families.

The study, which compared each state’s college costs in relation to family income, was conducted by the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College and the Higher Education Policy Institute.

Pennsylvania ranks 49th out of 50, while New Hampshire is dead last. New Jersey placed 10th and Delaware was 16th. Still, college affordability has declined in all 50 states since 2008.

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/homepage-feature/item/93251-colleges-in-pa-unaffordable-for-most-low-and-middle-income-families?linktype=hp_impact

Here’s a link to the full report: http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/irhe/affordability-diagnosis/state_reports

[LucieTheLakie]

Here’s how the states rank in affordability:

STATE RANKINGS

Alaska 1
Wyoming 2
Hawaii 3
California 4
New Mexico 5
Maryland 6
Texas 7
Arizona 8
West Virginia 9
New Jersey 10
North Dakota 11
Washington 12
Utah 13
Nevada 14
Michigan 15
Delaware 16
Idaho 17
Nebraska 18
Kansas 19
Kentucky 20
Connecticut 21
Oklahoma 22
Illinois 23
North Carolina 24
Minnesota 25
Virginia 26
Wisconsin 27
Iowa 28
Indiana 29
Florida 30
Colorado 31
Louisiana 32
Arkansas 33
Tennessee 34
Georgia 35
Mississippi 36
Missouri 37
Oregon 38
New York 39
Montana 40
South Dakota 41
Maine 42
Massachusetts 43
South Carolina 44
Ohio 45
Vermont 46
Alabama 47
Rhode Island 48
Pennsylvania 49
New Hampshire 50

The report includes information on each state: http://www2.gse.upenn.edu/irhe/affordability-diagnosis/state_reports

[LucieTheLakie]

The state’s two-year public and four-year public institutions rank in the bottom half of the country in affordability.

“I was surprised that the institutions that we’ve always thought of as open access, our safety net institutions, are now unaffordable for most,” the Penn professor of higher education said. “It’s just become … unrealistic for families to be able to shoulder the kind of debt burden that they would have to.”

Pennsylvania’s public research institutions — Penn State, Temple and the University of Pittsburgh — are the most expensive in the country.

A family would have to spend, on average, nearly half of its income — 47 percent — to pay for full-time attendance at one of those schools.

^^ This of course assumes the student receives no significant merit money.

Not sure about Pitt, but Penn State offers very little in the way of merit dollars, even for students admitted to Schreyer Honors College. (Freshman admits receive a paltry $4,500 a year; upperclassmen receive 0.) Temple is the only school that offers serious merit dollars (to both in- and out-of-state students).

[kidzncatz]

Thanks for posting the confirming evidence for what we as a PA lower-income family already knew about Penn State, Pitt, and Temple. Though less expensive, even the PASSHE schools are relatively unaffordable.

[novicemom23kids]

Sad state of affairs here in PA – but nice to finally see the actual figures to back up what we are seeing. When I hear about OOS costs at public U’s and everyone giving the advice to look to your home state flagship I just shake my head. There are so many choices for us that are much more affordable than Pitt or PSU - and very little or no merit aid for in state students.

Our D’s “close to home” financial safety will likely be a private LAC that will provide generous merit aid making it more affordable that our PASSHE schools. Otherwise we are resigned to sending her out of state.

[mamabear1234]

Has Pitt cut down on merit money in recent years? Both my Ds (in state) received full tuition scholarship offers from Pitt. They wanted to go farther from home though.

[GMTplus7]

Ironic that Alabama is almost at the bottom, since it gives such awesome merit scholarships.

[TomSrOfBoston]

Also ironic is that Vermont is near the bottom given the proposed policy of free tuition by a certain prominent Vermonter.

Also Penn State has had the highest in state tuition in the country going back decades.

[greenbutton]

Pennsylvania has never supported education – not at any level. Penn State’s state funding is very small, but they are also choosing to fundraise for and endow things other than students.

We also rank near the bottom (or the top, depending on how you want to see it) for equity in educational funding. Now that charter schools are free to vaccumn up money from the public school/taxpayer base, with little to no accountability on how that is spent, things are only worsening. You can make a lot of money in edubusiness here.

[TomSrOfBoston]

But Penn State has no trouble raising money for a new football building and an ice arena, $88,000,000 for the latter from a donor.

[PhilaSkiMom]

Pitt is very competitive in many majors and it has effected the availability of merit money for in state students. There are still scholarships available but unless you are 5.0/2400/#1, it appears that the majority of merit money is granted to out-of-state students.

[Gatormama]

This is just pathetic. Granted, somebody has to be at the bottom, but why does it have to be where we live, dangit?

[GMTplus7]

What’s particularly SHAMEFUL is that, except for Connecticut & New Jersey, all the states that are home to Ivy League schools are in the bottom-most quartile. But I guess the unwashed peasants there can eat cake.

New York 39
Montana 40
South Dakota 41
Maine 42
Massachusetts 43
South Carolina 44
Ohio 45
Vermont 46
Alabama 47
Rhode Island 48
Pennsylvania 49
New Hampshire 50

[bluebayou]

Surprised to see Mass down near the bottom, too. I had always thought that the state supported higher ed better that others.

And California # #4 – wow.

[mommdc]

At least Temple and Pitt offer a chance at significant merit for high stats. Temple guaranteed for 3.8 GPA (they recalculate) and 32 ACT. At Pitt you need at least 33 ACT and high GPA and class rank and it’s not guaranteed. Engineering is especially competitive for merit (instate) it seems.

But I think the Penn State branches really should have a lower tuition cost. They are often the only affordable option (other than commuting to PASSHE school) if student didn’t get merit or has no community college nearby.
But since tuition and fees alone can be over $13k, even a $0 EFC PA student who gets max Pell and state grant, about $10k, will still need to take out a student loan.

One thing that helps a bit is I think the state grant. I believe you can qualify for it with EFC of up to $12,000.
So one incentive for staying instate.

[Midwest67]

I’m surprised Illinois isn’t further down the list. Give us time!

[OnTheBubble]

If you look at US News Best Value rankings you will find in the National University section and Regional North where PA is located, virtually all the schools are private schools. Interesting.

[NJFL123]

My sister went to Bloomsburg and I remember it as being affordable - we didn’t have money to spend on college. Are those schools (Kutztown, East Stroudsburg etc.) no longer affordable?

[PurpleTitan]

@GMTplus7, the Northeast has never been a strong supporter of public higher ed, and it’s in part because of its strong and powerful privates.

So while CA used its land-grant to establish Cal, WI to establish UW-Madison, and IL to establish UIUC, all of which have become public world-renown research heavyweights, NY’s went to private Cornell and MA’s partially to private MIT.

Because the privates in the Northeast were numerous and powerful and had alums in positions of power, states there had policies that led to strong privates and weak publics.

[PurpleTitan]

BTW, PSU, Pitt, and Temple are state-aided. Which means that they are essentially privates who get some state money (like Cornell’s contract colleges). Delaware as well.
The PASSHE schools are PA’s only true public colleges (which is as pathetic as it sounds).