Out-of-state students, a lucrative revenue stream for state colleges and universities, are staying home, and already cash-strapped colleges are struggling to cope
Hammered by the recession, they're opting in larger numbers to attend schools in their home states. In a recent study conducted by the College Board and Art & Science Group, a consultant to colleges and universities, 41% of high school seniors said they are giving much more consideration to attending a public institutions close to home in the fall because of current economic conditions. And many schools, including Colorado
"The hopes and dreams of many students and families in terms of what it means to go to college are changing," says Lauren Asher, acting president at the Institute for College Access & Success, a nonprofit research group that advocates for making higher education more available and affordable. "They are now really trying to find a good deal."
Waiting Out the Recession
With a lucrative revenue stream drying up, state schools have limited options that include slashing budgets or finding new sources of revenue. So far, some have opted to raise tuition, but most are hoping the decline in out-of-state applicants will end when the recession does, so they're doing nothing, at least for now.
For the many students deciding to pursue their education a little closer to home, attending a state university in their home state is a great deal: a quality education at a fraction of the cost of elite private schools. But for the public schools themselves, it's a different story.
Over the past few decades, the financial structure of public universities has changed drastically. No longerdoes state funding account for the majority of a school's budget. In fact, a school is lucky if state support accounts for 20% of the overall budget. At the College of William & Mary (William & Mary Undergraduate Profile), taxpayer money made up 18% of the operating budget for the 2008-09 academic year. Thirty years ago, it was 43%. "At this point, we're a privately supported university that also gets some meaningful state aid," says W. Taylor Reveley III, president of William & Mary.
To make up the difference, public universities must rely on tuition and fees to pay for the lion's share of budgetary needs. Because of this, many state schools work hard to attract nonresidents, who pay a premium-often more than three times as much as residents-to attend.
Soaking the Out-of-Staters
" Given the way that states are cutting back on funds, to replace an in-state student with an out-of-state student, particularly if you can capture some of that revenue for your own purposes, is a good thing financially for schools, " says John Maguire, chairman and founder of Maguire Associates, a research-based consulting firm specializing in educational institutions.
Just how good? At the
Considering the vast differences in cost, it would seem that the financial woes schools are experiencing could quickly be solved by simply admitting more students from beyond state lines. But with more qualified in-state applications coming in, that's difficult to rationalize. Also, with fewer out-of-state students applying to public institutions this year, it has become harder for schools to admit as many non-residents without lowering academic standards.
" [Public schools] have an obligation to the states that support them, " says Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers. " You can't engage in any kind of a financial analysis that ends up valuing out-of-state [students] more than in-state. "
Quotas and Caps
On top of the obligation to taxpayers and their families, many states also limit the number of nonresidents a public-supported university is able to enroll. In North Carolina the cap is 18% of total undergraduate enrollment. In
For a school such as William & Mary, in
But one state doesn't have to worry about nonresident caps. In fact, Daniel Fogel, president of the
Why? Because Fogel oversees a school located in a state where there simply aren't enough home-grown students to fill a class. So in order to keep the doors open, he must venture beyond state lines for the majority of students. "We're faring better than most of our public peers and most of our private peers, as well," Fogel says. "We're less reliant on public finance than the other publics, and we're less reliant on spendable earnings on endowment than the privates."
At
Overcrowding
This is undoubtedly true, but unfortunately, few are in the unique position that Fogel enjoys. In fact, two states in particular-California and
In
The state of
Critics of the 10% rule include UT Austin President William Powers Jr., who warned alumni and donors late last year that if the law isn't changed, 100% of students at his university will be admitted through the rule as soon as the 2009-10 academic year. If Powers is correct, UT-Austin would not only stand to lose a good deal of diversity in the student body, but also some $60 million in tuition funds that come from the 8% of undergrads who are from outside of Texas.
Dwindling Diversity
For state universities, the economic downturn cannot right itself soon enough. It's true that out-of-state students bring in more money, but they also create a more diverse student body, which will quickly disappear if the financial troubles continue and state residents choose to remain close to home.
And that isn't the only negative result. Many schools are already having to make difficult decisions like increasing enrollment, raising tuition, or eliminating programs altogether.
"Everyone is getting hurt," Nassirian says. "You can always attempt to do more with less, but there comes a point where the substance of the activity begins to suffer." The question now is: how much more suffering can public universities take?