Higher Education

 

 

Higher education institutions, such as state universities, community colleges, institutes of technology, vocational schools, trade schools, and career colleges, receive funding support through state budgets. In fiscal 2011, state expenditures for higher education purposes totaled $170.4 billion, 10.1 percent of total state spending, down from over 13.0 percent in 1998. Despite increased state spending and federal initiatives to make higher education more affordable, tuition and fees at many four-year public institutions continue a rapid rise.

Staff Contact: Kathryn Vesey White

NASBO Publications

  • The latest edition of NASBO’s State Expenditure Report finds that the recent improvement in the national economy has not translated to strong growth in total state spending. This is largely due to the fact that state revenues have not increased as fast as Recovery Act funds have declined, leading to a unique situation in which total state expenditure growth has slowed during the same time that the national economy has been improving.
  • State fiscal conditions in fiscal 2013 are modestly recovering in step with the slowly improving national economy. General fund spending levels are expected to increase by 2.2 percent this fiscal year, which is less than half their historical average growth rate. Signs of budget volatility have subsided compared to the years immediately following the recession, and fiscal conditions in most states reflect continued fiscal stability.
  • State fiscal conditions are continuing to improve into fiscal 2013, although many state budgets are not fully back to prerecession levels. This report finds that governors’ recommended budgets show an overall increase in both general fund expenditures and revenues in fiscal 2013. Fiscal trends indicate that while