Indiana receives F on affordability report card, ranked 31st nationwide

Is it really failing if everyone does it?

In a recent report card created by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Indiana ranks 31st in the nation in college affordability. The state also received a failing grade of F, along with every other state but California.

Even though almost every state came out on the raw end of this report, some students think the results bring up a valid issue.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” said senior Kyle Siegel. “I think this school is very over-priced, and I think they take advantage of out-of-state students.”

Siegel said when paying for his junior year at IU, he had trouble coming up with the money.

“My loan didn’t even cover everything,” he said. “I had to get a side job. It didn’t cover my books or my housing.”

But IU officials said they’re doing the best they can.

“As states have provided less and less of a university’s budget, there’s only a couple of ways that you can make up that additional revenue,” said Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management. “Most of the options have been tuition.”

Even federal programs like the Pell Grant, which used to pay the entire cost of tuition for qualifying Indiana residents, now pays only half, Thompson said.

IU isn’t alone in its financial predicament.

“It’s not unique to Indiana University,” Thompson said. “Most public universities are more dependent on tuition than they’ve ever been before.”

Still, Thompson said IU is working hard to make the cost of attendance more affordable.

Where the Pell Grant pays for half of a student’s tuition, IU offers the Pell Promise Award. This pays the other half of tuition for those who qualify.

When a student in the 21st Century Scholars Program comes to IU, his or her tuition is paid for – that’s what the state offers. But students can also apply for the 21st Century Scholarship Covenant, in which case the University pays for all the extra costs of attendance.

Last year more than 250 freshmen were enrolled in the program. This year, there are more than 450.

“We’re not necessarily disagreeing with the report,” said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre. “But what’s happening here at IU is that a number of things have been done – things that the people who put the report together don’t have visibility over.”

MacIntyre said while admission is more selective than ever at IU, financial help is also easier than ever to receive.

“There are more grant and scholarship programs in place now than there ever have been,” he said.

While the rise in college costs are very real, Thompson cited the faltering economy as a partial cause of affordability concerns.

“I think families in America are feeling squeezed,” Thompson said. “As they feel squeezed and their kids go off to college, things like college tuition and the cost of attendance becomes much more front and center.”