The Moody’s analysis is based on data from a Grapevine report released earlier this year that showed state support for higher education increased by 3.7% from the 2017-18 to the 2018-19 fiscal years.
While an overall increase is positive for higher education, Moody’s analysis underlines others’ concerns that state colleges have not yet recovered from deep cuts during the Great Recession. Meanwhile, declining enrollment and public questioning of the value of a college degree is further squeezing some institutions’ budgets.
Additionally, not all states have benefited from a recent increase in public support, with funding falling year-over-year for South Carolina, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Alaska.
