Iowa Schools Get F in AffordabilityWaterloo-Cedar Fall Courier
DES MOINES - Iowa public universities received an "F" in affordability, one of 36 states to receive a failing grade, according to a report issued Wednesday.
"It's a direct result of the actions of the Iowa Legislature," Regent David Neil of La Porte City said. "We've been trying to maintain the quality of education, and we have pushed students to the end with that. We can't do it anymore."
"Measuring Up 2004," released by the nonprofit National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, says many Iowa families are struggling to afford a college education.
According to the report, 28 percent of family incomes are needed to pay for a public four-year university in Iowa, up from 18 percent a decade ago. Meanwhile, the state's poorest students devote 36 percent of their family incomes to attend a community college after financial aid is factored in, the report says.
Iowa ... got a "C-minus" in 2002 and a "B" in 2000.
Tuition and fees at Iowa public universities have increased 71 percent in the past five years to an average $5,403 this school year. Costs rose 42 percent at community colleges during the same period and now average $2,754.
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