Only 35% of public four-year universities remain financially accessible to students from low- and moderate-income families, according to a new study released by the National College Attainment Network that analyzed costs at more than 1,100 public institutions nationwide.
Community colleges, traditionally viewed as the most affordable postsecondary option, performed only marginally better. Just 48% of the 600 community colleges analyzed met the organization's affordability criteria, with students facing an average gap of $486 in uncovered costs.
The findings reveal stark geographic disparities in college affordability. Fourteen states had zero affordable public universities, including Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska and Vermont. Meanwhile, five states—Hawaii, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Utah—offered no affordable community college options.
"These findings continue to sound the alarm about the cost barriers facing students at public postsecondary options nationwide," the report states, highlighting persistent challenges for families seeking higher education despite public institutions' mission to serve as accessible pathways to economic mobility.
The study comes as federal safety-net programs face significant cuts and states grapple with reduced higher education funding. NCAN researchers used a comprehensive formula that factors in tuition, fees, housing costs, plus $300 for emergency expenses, then subtracted available financial aid including grants, federal loans, work-study earnings and summer wages at minimum wage.
Paradoxically, public universities showed improvement from previous years, largely due to a $400 increase in the maximum federal Pell Grant that brought the award to $6,895 in 2022-23. However, community colleges became less affordable as pandemic-era emergency funding expired and housing costs surged.
The loss of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund dollars particularly impacted community colleges, which had received more per-student funding during the pandemic than other sectors. Rising housing costs also disproportionately affected community college students, whose expenses are calculated based on off-campus living arrangements.
With bachelor's degrees linked to higher lifetime earnings and job security, the affordability crisis at public universities poses particular concerns for economic mobility. The report calls for increased federal, state and local investment in need-based financial aid to prevent further erosion of college access for low-income students.
Only 11 states—including Alaska, California, Florida and Illinois—had more than half their public universities meeting affordability standards, while 27 states exceeded the national average of 65% unaffordable institutions.
The analysis underscores growing pressure on state policymakers to increase higher education funding as federal support remains uncertain and college costs continue outpacing family incomes nationwide.
