Report Finds a Crisis in American Higher Education: Higher Fees and Less Financial Aid Result in Reduced Access for Blacks and Other Minorities

A new study by the National Conference of State Legislatures concludes that public higher education is not doing an adequate job of preparing young Americans to be competitive in the twenty-first century economy.

The report, entitled Transforming Higher Education: National Imperative — State Responsibility, warns “there is a higher education crisis in this country. The American system of higher education is no longer the best in the world.” One of the main problems, according to the report, is that higher education is becoming less accessible to the general population because of higher fees and lower availability of financial aid. This lower level of accessibility is especially damaging to blacks and other minorities, who are disproportionately from low-income families.

The authors of the report are six Republican and six Democratic state legislators. They allege that state legislatures are part of the problem by their not setting clear goals for higher education and not providing adequate funding.

Following are some recommendations from the report:

The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.