NC
Strategic Scorecard |
3.3.3 Higher
Education Access |
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Target: Rank
among 10 most affordable states in higher education
costs (less than 80% of US average)
Actual: 71%
of US average
US
Rank 2003: 18th (down
from 9th in 2000)
SE
Rank 200n: 6th (down
from 3rd in 2000)
SE
Region: AL
FL GA KY MS NC SC TN VA WV Updated
3/28/06
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| Primary
Performance Indicator |
Average Undergradute Tuition/Fees
(Public 4-Year)
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Performance
Trend:
The
trend depicts the degree to which actual
performance has approached the target in
recent years. |
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Comments
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From
1994 to 2004, NC’s rank for average public university
tuition, room, board and fee costs fell from 2nd to
15th in the US and from 1st to 4th in the region, due
in part to recent tuition hikes. |
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Still,
NC continues to have some of the most affordable
public universities (and best college bargains)
in the nation. Its average student costs for public
higher education are about 82% of the national
average, and its average tuition and fees were
only 21.5% of the median family income (for lowest
quintile), compared to 29.9% for the US. |
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Definition
(What Is Being Measured)
Average
in-state tuition, room and board and fees for
full-time students in public four-year institutions
of higher education for one academic year.
Source: US
Dept. of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,
Digest of Education Statistics. |
Relevance
(Why This Is Important)
Average
costs per student reflect the relative affordability of higher
education (without adjustments for tuition assistance). |
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| Other
Highlights |
| North
Carolina |
• |
From
2000 to 2004, the average tuition for NC’s public
four-year institutions rose 71% (Source: National Center
for Public Policy and Higher Education, Measuring Up 2004,
The National Report Card on Higher Education), but this
increase was partially offset by financial assistance (e.g.,
in 2002, the UNC System awarded $3,573 in grants and scholarships
per undergraduate student). |
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In
2004, per the National Center for Public Policy and Higher
Education, NC’s average tuition at public four-year
institutions was $3,251—the 11th lowest in the US
and 3rd lowest in the SE—and NC offered the 16th
(tie) most affordable public universities in the US and
3rd most affordable in the SE (considering family income,
college costs and tuition assistance). With 126 institutions
of higher education, NC has the 8th most in the US and
the 2nd most in the region (US Education Dept., NCES),
but this does not necessarily translate to high enrollments.
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In
2003, 30% of NC’s adults aged 18 to 24 were enrolled
in a two- or four-year institution, tying it for 43rd in
the nation. |
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Other |
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In 2001,
4.3% of NC's population was enrolled in higher education,
the 29th highest rate in the US and the 6th highest rate
in the SE (Source: US Dept. of Education and Governing
Magazine). In 2002, NC's national rank in college affordability
(as measured by average student costs) climbed to 36th
from 42nd in 2000 and its regional rank improved from 8th
to 6th during the same time period. |
| Southeast
Region |
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| National |
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In a recent independent
assessment, only 3 states (California, Utah and Minnesota)
earned better than a "D" in college affordability
(Source: National Center for Public Poilcy and Higher Education). |
| Global |
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Goal
3.3: Build
a Premier Public
Higher Education System |
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