The impact of Indiana’s low education attainment level shows up in Hoosiers’ paychecks.
The state ranks 40th in the U.S. in the percentage of residents with college diplomas. Not coincidentally, Indiana ranks about the same in per-capita personal income. Indiana needs a more highly educated workforce to grow economically.
In her testimony before Congress recently, Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers acknowledged the situation. “We must convince Hoosiers that hard work and postsecondary credentials are required for jobs that propel individuals and families up the economic ladder,” Lubbers testified to a U.S. Senate committee on revising college aid programs, as reported by The Indianapolis Star.
Lubbers went to Washington to suggest ways Congress could help improve on-time graduation by college students, which would cut the students’ costs.
Her suggestions make sense, logistically and financially. Lubbers recommended Congress change its definition of a “full course load” of classes to 15 credit hours, rather than 12. Most bachelor’s degrees require students to complete 120 credit hours. That averages to 15 credits per semester and 30 per year for four years. Most two-year associate degrees call for 60 completed hours, and the same averages apply. Falling behind that pace, with just one or two 12-credit semesters, could extend students’ college completion time by six months or a year, costing thousands of dollars extra. That extra time is compounded when students change majors and must take a new set of courses.
Lubbers also told senators that federal financial aid programs should pay for a course only if the student completes it, and that such aid should be available to students during summers so they can catch up or get ahead on their graduation progress.
College tuition has skyrocketed in the 21st century, up 42 percent at public universities during the past decade. Total outstanding student loan debt in the U.S. tops $1 trillion, more than Americans’ combined credit card debt. So, more on-time degrees is a win-win for students and the state.
Let’s not forget, though, that most Hoosier college students work jobs during school to help pay for daily expenses and their tuition bills. Many work full-time and attend college. That work load affects students’ ability to handle their college course loads.
Students cumulatively pay a larger portion of college costs than states do now. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, pointed to that statistic during Lubbers’ presentation, the Star reported. Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, said states have diminished financial support for their colleges by necessity, because the rising cost of funding Medicaid forced that to take higher priority. True and true.
Lubbers kicked off a statewide “15 to Finish” campaign on Monday (July 28), encouraging Hoosier college students to maintain a 15-credit-hour course load to finish degrees on time, improve their grades, and save extra costs. Higher Ed Commission statistics show “significant numbers” of full-time students are below the 30-hours per year pace. Initiatives at Indiana campuses have helped. Indiana State University, for example, offers students who are falling behind summer tuition and housing discounts.
Meanwhile, the students still face the bottom-line issue — a college degree costs students and their families too much. The concept of “working your way through college,” debt-free at the end, no longer is realistic for a lone young person. So students balance jobs and studies. As the “15 to Finish” campaign reminds students of the benefits of working harder to carry a full semester load, the work by state lawmakers, Congress and colleges to cut tuition costs should be ramped up, too.
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