During the past two decades, federal support for higher education rose while state support dropped, explains a report released Tuesday from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Although states have historically accounted for the bulk of spending on higher ed, their per-student funding fell 31% from 2000 to 2015. As a result, the gap between state and federal higher ed spending narrowed from 100% to 12% during the period. Federal and state policy decisions will determine whether the “funding convergence” will be a “temporary or more lasting reconfiguration,” the authors note.
