12/03/2008

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP  / Associated Press

An independent report on American higher education flunks the state of Washington on affordability of college, but says the state is doing a commendable job at helping students earn degrees once they start taking college classes.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, gave "F"s for affordability to 49 states. Only California earned a passing grade in the category, because it has relatively inexpensive community colleges.

The affordability grade is based on how much of an average family's income it costs to go to college. The report said poor and working-class families in Washington must spend 36 percent of their income, in addition to financial aid, to pay for tuition at a two-year college.

One positive note on the affordability index is financial aid. The report says Washington gives more financial aid to low-income students than other states and has increased its student aid substantially since the early 1990s.

College affordability is likely to worsen as the economy does, said Patrick Callan, president of the Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

College presidents in Washington state have expressed concern that higher education could be hit hard as state lawmakers deal with an expected budget deficit.

The new president of Western Washington University said recently that he worries about the Legislature using the higher education budget as a "rainy day fund."

State higher education money is the biggest purse of unprotected dollars in the state's budget. Other state services, such as K-12 education and prisons, are protected by state or federal mandates.

WWU President Bruce Shepard said he expects a budget battle in Olympia this year, but he isn't altogether worried about the outcome.

"This is a state that understands the connection between higher education and the quality of life," he said.

The national study supplies a mixed picture on Shepard's point, giving the state a "B" for the proportion of Washington residents who have a bachelor's degree, but only a "D" for not providing enough opportunities for young and working age adults to go to college.

Washington employers like Microsoft Corp. acknowledge importing college graduates from around the county and the world.

The state's participation grade was worse than many other states — half the states earned "A"s or "B"s in this category.

The state's "A-minus" for awarding certificates and degrees reflects the fact that 63 percent of college students complete a bachelor's degree within six years. However, 51 percent of Hispanics graduate within six years, compared to 65 percent of whites.

Washington got another passing grade, a "C-plus," in the area of college preparation. The report said, however, that a small proportion of high school students score well on Advanced Placement tests and college entrance exams. It noted that only 66 percent of Hispanics have a high school diploma compared to 91 percent of whites.