States Are Still Funding Higher Education Below Pre-Recession Levels

Most states have begun in the past year to restore some of the cuts they made to higher education funding after the recession hit. Eight states, though, are still cutting, and in almost all states including those that are have boosted their support higher education funding remains well below pre-recession levels. The large funding cuts have led to both steep tuition increases and spending cuts that may diminish the quality of education available to students at a time when a highly educated workforce is more crucial than ever to the nation’s economic future. This report examines the states that are still funding higher education below pre-recession levels.