The mood at the Metro State board of trustees meeting last week was somber as members approved tuition and fee increases that will be 18.1 percent higher than what students paid this year.
That is a whopping increase for a student body that is, in many cases, on the edge of being able to afford higher education to begin with.
Board members said they had no choice, and we don’t criticize them for seeking additional revenue given the large state funding cuts the school has suffered at the same time enrollment has been increasing.
However, this move should be a wakeup call for Coloradans, especially when considered alongside the 20 percent tuition increase approved at Colorado State University and the 15 percent tuition hike being contemplated at the University of Northern Colorado.
Public higher education in this state is at risk of becoming unaffordable for many young people, particularly those from middle-class families.
While the poorest students will qualify for financial aid, and those who come from wealthy families will be able to pay the bill, those in the middle are being squeezed the hardest.
Stephen Jordan, Metro State’s president, tells us he is most worried about students who just barely fail to qualify for Pell Grants, the largest federal aid program.
For those students, the $741 increase (that’s what the 18.1 percent increase works out to be) is substantial. It could mean the difference between continuing their education and giving up.
As a point of clarity, the much- publicized 22.6 percent increase in Metro tuition for next year is an accurate number, but it includes some charges previously levied as fees. The net increase for students in both tuition and fees is 18.1 percent.
We think Metro holds a special place in the state’s range of higher education opportunities. Its low cost — which remains a relative bargain, even with the increase — and open admissions policy have made it a place where almost anyone with enough gumption can get a degree.
Consider the hard work that some of Colorado’s urban school districts, such as Denver and Aurora, are putting in to boost graduation rates and get kids to believe they can go to college. It would be devastating if Metro became unaffordable for those young people.
Metro’s mission is different from, say, that of the University of Colorado at Boulder, a research institution that occupies an equally important role in the state’s higher ed system.
The truth is, both schools are suffering as a result of the state’s continuing budget pressures, as are Colorado’s other public colleges and universities.
Two decades ago, Colorado devoted about 20 percent of its general fund budget to higher ed. That number has decreased to just 9 percent.
The declining commitment also is evident in other statistics. The state invested $10.52 per $1,000 of personal income on higher ed in 1980, but now that number is just $3.20. Meanwhile, the national average is $12.28.
Times are tough, economically speaking. We all know that. But higher education is an economic driver that offers life-changing opportunities for students — and Colorado must find a way to keep it affordable.
