A new report ranks Ohio among the least affordable states to get a college education.
The College Affordability Diagnosis, released Wednesday by the Institute for Research on Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, considers the cost of college in comparison to family income.
Alaska nabbed the top spot as the state with the most affordable higher education, trailed by Wyoming, Hawaii, California, and New Mexico.
Ohio lagged at No. 45, while Michigan came in at 15. The only states to score lower than Ohio are Vermont, Alabama, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.
The study, based on the most recently available federal data from 2013 and before, does not reflect Ohio’s decision to freeze tuition at public colleges and universities for this school year and next, said Jeff Robinson, Ohio Department of Higher Education spokesman.
He cited recent efforts to make college more affordable, such as recommendations for schools to share services and eliminate low-enrollment courses and the launch of College Credit Plus, a program that allows high schoolers to earn college credits.
“The governor is very aware, the chancellor is very aware. We are doing what we can to keep costs low,” he said.
The study found that four in 10 Ohio undergraduates attend state public research institutions, among the country’s least affordable, and the review also determined Ohio “offers well below the national average in need-based financial aid.”
The report stated that students enrolled in Ohio’s public research institutions borrow an average of $4,062 a year to finance their education. Students at such schools would have to work an average of 48 hours weekly to cover the cost of attending college full-time.
Ohio contributes $97 in per-student, need-based aid for those attending public schools, according to the study. The national average is $474. Michigan averages $145 per student.
A 7 percent drop in the number of high school graduates attending Ohio’s public universities and colleges is expected to occur between 2020 and 2028. Michigan is expected to face a 13 percent decline in that time span.
“This study shows how the deck is stacked against low- and middle-income Americans when it comes to paying for college,” said one of the study’s authors, Joni Finney, in a written statement.
The University of Toledo currently charges in-state undergraduates taking between 12 and 16 credit hours $4,025.88 per semester. Bowling Green State University charges in-state students who take between 12 and 18 credit hours $4,548 per semester in tuition.
While Ohio’s public universities can’t hike tuition next year, both UT and BGSU boosted some student expenses for 2016-17. In February, BGSU trustees approved an average residence hall rate hike of 2.4 percent plus a 2.5 percent meal plan rate increase. That same month, UT’s board approved a 2 percent room-rate increase for next school year. Any changes to Toledo’s meal plans or lab or technology fees would be part of a budget to be considered by trustees in June.
“UT maintains one of the lowest costs of attendance of Ohio’s four-year public universities, while our graduates earn the third highest starting salaries, on average,” said UT spokesman Meghan Cunningham, in a written statement.
BGSU spokesman Dave Kielmeyer noted Bowling Green’s unrestricted operating budget is nearly the same as it was a decade ago, an estimated $285.1 million for fiscal year 2017 compared to $284.1 million in 2007.
“We’re constantly exploring ways to reduce costs, be more efficient and generate new revenue sources,” he said in a written statement.
Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.
First Published April 29, 2016, 5:13 a.m.
