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Survey says state schools affordable
By Brandon Sullivan
College affordability is certainly an important issue for students, prospective studentsand their parents
According to a recent poll by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, this attitude holds true for the general public.
The survey revealed that many people think that the rising prices of higher education is limiting the opportunities available for some people. A greater percentage of the public feels that higher education is less affordable than buying a house, securing retirement or buying a car.
A weakness in the survey is the public's overestimation of the cost of two year schools and public and private four-year schools by about 41 percent.
Despite the legitimate financial concerns, the poll shows that Americans are confident in their eiligibility for financial aid awards.
Ninety-three percent of the parent participants said they will find a way to work out the costs while, 87 percent say if an individual wants to go to college, that person could find a way to pay for it.
The attitude toward the affordability of higher education is supported by the importance of college. Over half of those surveyed agreed it is important to have a college degree. Over half believed that a college degree is just as important as a high school diploma, however a large portion of those surveyed thought there are other ways to be successful in life.
Five states have received an A on their report card in the area of affordability. The five state are California, Illinois, North Carolina, Utah, and Minnesota.
All of these states have developed their own higher education policies. . The policies of these states address low tuition and financial aide.
Tuition is kept between 20-25 percent of the average household income. (Room & board and books are calculated into the cost of tuition).
Second, these five states offer financial aid to the students.
The states earned their grade based on their rating in the following categories: preparation, participation, completion, benefits, learning, and affordability.
Minnesota received an A in benefits form education.
The grade for preparation is a B-. Preparation looks at education leading up to college. For example, Minnesota's eight-graders receive some the highest scores of the nation in math and science assessments.
The category of completion shows students usually stay in school and graduate. That earned a B+.
Participation fell from a B- to a C+ between 2000 and 2002. This drop was caused by the the amount of young people who attend immediately following high school.
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