A growing number of public universities are becoming less affordable and accessible for low-income students and people of color, according to two new reports released today.
In its report, New America found that more than half of the 600 public universities it examined expect the neediest first-year students to pay more than $10,000 to attend, which equals more than a third of their families’ yearly earnings.
About 8 percent of public institutions expect low-income families to pay more than $15,000 a year, according to the report.
“The story has gotten worse and worse at publics, and a growing number of them are using the enrollment management techniques used at private universities,” said Stephen Burd, a senior policy analyst with New America’s education policy program….