Higher education in Wisconsin is more affordable than in other states and high school students here are better prepared for college-level education, according to a recent study by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
Evaluating each state's higher education performance on an A through F scale, the 2002 study rated Wisconsin a C for affordability, significantly higher than the national D average.
Steve Van Ess, director of student financial services at UW-Madison spoke positively about the campus' accessibility and affordability for in-state students.
\Though costs are going up, we're still the second lowest in the Big Ten for resident tuition,"" Van Ess said.
The study attributes the national D average to the recent economic downturn and claims that states are relegating funds towards mandatory institutions like prisons, Medicare and K-12 education and less money is put toward higher education. Consequently, institutions have had to drastically increase tuition rates, and need-based aid has become insubstantial.
Though Van Ess acknowledged the recent eight percent in-state tuition increase, he emphasized that Wisconsin does not follow this downward trend in financial aid.
""Need-based aid has increased significantly. The institution and the state both made significant increases in need-based student financial aid to help meet the cost of education,"" Van Ess said.
Mikyung Ryu, a policy analyst at the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, said Wisconsin should focus its efforts on students from the lowest income backgrounds.
""The weakest area [for Wisconsin] is more and better options for higher education for the lowest income family,"" Ryu said. ""State effort has to target these families to make higher education more affordable for them.""
One way UW-Madison helps these families is through the Madison Initiative, a public-private partnership helping needy students with financial aid that aims to maintain UW-Madison's affordability so that every able Wisconsin resident has the opportunity to attend this institution.
""[UW-Madison] has been pretty good about trying to set aside some portion of tuition increases whether it's directly from [the Madison Initiative] or from some fundraising activity to help offset the cost for the neediest of students,"" Van Ess said.
The study also shows that overall, most states are better preparing students for higher education. Wisconsin received an A-, showing that the state's high school graduates are well prepared for college-level education.
In September, Keith White, associate director of admissions at UW-Madison told The Daily Cardinal that statistics from this year's freshman class support this idea. Data shows that a greater pool of increasingly talented candidates apply to UW-Madison.
""The freshman class has become academically more able each year,"" he said.
