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Montana colleges costliest
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HELENA (AP) – Montana’s eighth-graders are better prepared for college than many kids in the nation, but higher education here is less affordable for families than in most states, a new study shows.
Associated Press
The study, called Measuring Up 2002, is the second edition of state-by-state education rankings from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a national nonprofit organization.
It gave each state grades in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion and benefits. The average of the five top-rated states in each category was set as a "high, but achievable" performance standard.
The group gave Montana an A- in preparation, mostly because of eighth-graders’ performance on national exams. More eighth-graders scored at or above "proficient" in science in Montana than in any other state.
The study said the state’s eighth-graders also met or exceeded the high performance mark on math and reading exams.
Montana’s families, however, need to pay nearly a quarter of their income for higher education, even after financial aid is applied to those costs. The state got an F in affordability of higher education, one of only 13 states to get such a rating.
Dick Crofts, the state’s commissioner of higher education, said he wasn’t surprised by the results. But he said the state has improved its support in recent years.
"Clearly, we are concerned about it, and if you look at the measure they’re using, the main change has been in the community colleges. For the public four-year colleges and universities, we have gone down in the percent of income" that goes to higher education, Crofts said.
After financial aid is applied, the average family pays 25 percent of its income for community colleges, compared to 16 percent nationally. The average Montana family pays 26 percent of its income at 4-year colleges and universities, compared to 18 percent nationally.
The study also said the state’s poorest families would have to pay more than 20 percent of their income for tuition at the state’s least-expensive colleges, compared to the national average of just 8 percent.
Jim Stipcich, president of the Student Assistance Foundation of Montana, is familiar with those kinds of numbers. The foundation, a nonprofit corporation, provides grant money for colleges and universities.
"We recognize that trying to find enough dollars to move it so that Montana families only have to pay an eighth of their income is a pretty daunting task," Stipcich said. "A big part of what we’re trying to do is help families understand that education has a cost associated with it, and help them find ways to manage that cost."
The study also found Montana contributes far less financial aid to its low-income students than the rest of the nation.
Crofts said his office would review the findings, and take them to the administration when discussing funding for higher education in the state.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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