New Grapevine Data Shows Softening State Support for Higher Education in FY 2026

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) today released the latest Grapevine data, providing an initial look at state support for higher education in Fiscal Year 2026. The latest findings reveal that state support reached $133.1 billion, an increase of 1.0% over Fiscal Year 2025.[1] This represents the smallest year-over-year increase in Grapevine reporting since 2021, when state support increased by 0.6%. Between Fiscal Years 2022 and 2025, year-over-year changes averaged 7.8%. The latest 1.0% increase represents the fourteenth straight year of non-inflation adjusted increases in state support for higher education. 

Key findings from the FY 2026 tables include:

  • Slowing Growth in State Support. Between FY22 and FY25, state support increased nominally by at least 6.7% each year, mirroring strong state revenue growth coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 1.0% increase in FY26 mirrors the less robust tax revenue growth states have experienced lately.
  • State Level Differences. While 33 states reported increases in state support, ranging from 12.1% in Montana to 0.1% in Florida, 17 states and Washington, D.C., reported decreases in state support, ranging from -13.6% in Arizona to -1.6% in North Carolina. Seven states reported reductions in higher education support of 5.0% or more, while only five states reported increases of the same caliber.
  • Improvement in State Effort. Due to robust increases in state support, buoyed by federal stimulus funding coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, state effort to support higher education increased over the last five years. State support per $1,000 of personal income increased 5.3% from $4.86 in FY21 to $5.12 in FY26. However, state support per $1,000 of personal income has not kept pace with recent income growth, as the $5.12 reported in 2026 is 3.9% below 2025 and 3.2% below 2024. State support per capita increased nearly 32% between 2021 and 2026. The $390 in state support per capita nationally was 0.5% higher than 2025 and 6.0% higher than 2024. 
  • Uses of State Support: Of the total state support in FY 2026, 47.6% was allocated to operational support at public four-year institutions, while 20.9% supported operations at public two-year institutions. Financial aid accounted for 12.9% of state support, research, agriculture, and medical appropriations accounted for 10.8%, and an additional 7.8% was appropriated for other uses, which could include non-credit and continuing education appropriations or operational support to independent institutions and/or state agencies.

The full Grapevine report, including tables summarizing the results of the FY 2026 Grapevine survey, can be found on the SHEEO State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) website at https://shef.sheeo.org/grapevine. 

[1] Grapevine values are not adjusted for inflation. While actual inflation data are not available for fiscal year 2026, data for the first 6-months of most states’ fiscal years (July – December) show inflation increases between 2.7% and 3.0%. https://www.bls.gov/charts/consumer-price-index/consumer-price-index-by-category-line-chart.htm

About Grapevine

Since 1961, the Grapevine report has provided the earliest look at state support for higher education in the current fiscal year. Grapevine provides initial data on state tax support for higher education, including general fund appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and state higher education agencies. Prior year data are revised and updated with each data collection as final appropriations become available. Grapevine data are presented in their raw form; they are not adjusted for inflation or any other measures. 

About SHEEO

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staff. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staff with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership.

Now Hiring – State Policy Summer Interns

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SHEEO seeks candidates for two paid internships for the summer of 2026. We are looking for candidates who are motivated, active learners interested in higher education policy, state governance, and policy analysis. This internship is appropriate for students pursuing a career in higher education, public policy, public administration, and related fields. Your work will center on policy areas that may include college attainment, student success, data systems, workforce development, or higher education finance. Interns will work toward achieving professional goals alongside a talented SHEEO team.

This year, interns will be primarily working on one of the following SHEEO projects: A) advancing holistic advising for student success by using research and evidence to support states in developing policy agendas that improve student persistence, completion, and postsecondary attainment, or B) creating a database of governance structures and conducting research into effective governance functions. Interns will have the opportunity to work on other projects as workload permits.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Create and maintain state policy and news inventories. 
  • Curate unique data sources for analysis. 
  • Perform data analysis and discover trends to support publications. 
  • Assist with active survey administration. 
  • Generate and review website content. 
  • Contribute to meeting agenda planning. 
  • Design and build data visualizations. 
  • Draft various publications (e.g., blog posts, social media content, reports). 
  • Complete an independent project using SHEEO resources. 
  • Attend and assist SHEEO staff with our annual Higher Education Policy Conference.

The internship duration is flexible and will last for approximately 12 weeks, beginning in late May or early June. Interns may work remotely or on a hybrid schedule in our Boulder, Colorado, or Washington, D.C., office. Interns are invited to the Washington, D.C. office at the beginning of the internship. Toward the end of the internship period, interns are additionally invited to attend and help host the SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference in Chicago, which will be held from August 3-6, 2026. Travel and lodging will be provided and/or reimbursed by SHEEO. Interns are expected to work a minimum of 30 hours per week, with schedules determined by mutual arrangement. Working schedules can be flexible, but should overlap with standard business hours. This internship is paid at $23 per hour. 

SHEEO encourages applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

Application Process:

The application deadline is March 8, 2026. Please apply through this website and include the following:

  1. A cover letter addressing:
    • Which SHEEO priorities are most interesting to you?
    • Any previous class, work, and/or outside research projects related to higher education policy.
  2. A resume or curriculum vitae.
  3. Names and contact information of three professional references. (References will not be contacted until you have given permission for us to do so.)

Application reviews begin immediately following the deadline. Successful candidates will be contacted for an interview in March, and decisions will be made by the end of April.

Learn more about this position and how to apply at https://bit.ly/SHEEOintern26.

Now Hiring – SHEEO Administrative Coordinator

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SHEEO is seeking an Administrative Coordinator to support our staff, members, and national convenings. Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff, this role is central to keeping the organization running smoothly day-to-day and to ensuring a high-quality experience for SHEEO members and partners. 

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys being at the center of operations – coordinating logistics, supporting colleagues, managing details, and serving as a reliable, professional point of contact for members. You will work across teams, interact regularly with senior leaders and external partners, and play a key role in creating a welcoming, well-organized workplace. 

What you’ll do:

Support Staff and Organizational Operations:

  • Provide administrative support across the organization, including scheduling, light research, drafting and distributing agendas and correspondence, maintaining lists and databases, and coordinating projects.    
  • Ensure consistent administrative processes and communication for staff working across two physical office locations and fully remote team members. 
  • Communicate clearly and professionally with staff, members, and external partners. 
  • Anticipate needs and follow through on tasks with accuracy and attention to detail. 
  • Oversee day-to-day office operations, including supplies, inventory, vendor relationships, and coordination with building management. 
  • Help maintain an organized, functional physical workspace (light lifting may be required). 
  • Assist with recruitment and onboarding logistics, including posting positions, managing applicant communications, scheduling interviews, and coordinating onboarding activities.

Location and Travel: 

This position is based in Washington, D.C., and is eligible for a hybrid remote/in-office work schedule. Occasional national travel is required to support meetings and events.

Application Process:

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with a priority deadline of February 18, 2026.

Learn more about this job opening and how to apply here.

Solicitation for Session Proposals for 2026 Higher Education Policy Conference

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to host the 2026 Higher Education Policy Conference in Chicago, Illinois, August 3-6.  

The annual Policy Conference is the preeminent gathering of leaders from state higher education policy agencies, national higher education policy organizations, institutions, and state and federal governments. SHEEO seeks timely, thought-provoking proposals for sessions aligned with our organizational vision to promote an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring educational opportunity for all. Proposals are due February 27, 2026.

SHEEO invites proposals that consider:

  • Promoting the value of higher education
  • Workforce alignment and economic development
  • Communications, advocacy, and government relations
  • Effective use of postsecondary data systems
  • Educational opportunity and student success
  • Enrollment and demographic trends
  • Higher education finance and financial aid
  • Student affordability and student loan debt
  • Postsecondary education alignment with K-12
  • Mitigating disparities in access, persistence, or completion
  • Strategic planning and accountability
  • Other topics of interest to state higher education leaders.

Developing a Proposal

SHEEO encourages the submission of proposals for sessions that will bring together perspectives from multiple SHEEO agencies, states, and organizations. Most available sessions will be 45 minutes in length. We encourage a diverse selection of speakers and welcome a wide range of ideological perspectives. 

Proposals must include: 

  • Name, title, agency/institution, email address, biography (100-word limit), and headshot of each member of the proposed session. If selected, this information will be used on our Conference website. 
  • No more than four speakers per session.
  • A brief description of your proposal (1,000-word limit), including:
    • Purpose and topic
    • The type of content to be presented, such as:
      • A report on an innovative approach to policy, practice, finance, and/or data use
      • Original research 
      • A summary of existing knowledge 
      • Best practices 
    • Why the topic is important to current policy discussions
  • Proposed session title (100-character limit) and session description (2,500-character limit)
  • Intended audience (100-word limit) 
  • Participant goals and hoped-for outcomes (400-word limit)

Submitting a proposal and other important information

  • Please submit your proposal by uploading all relevant documents to the proposal website: https://bit.ly/PC26Proposals
  • There will be no compensation for traveling to, or speaking at, the event. 
  • Paid conference attendance is required of all session speakers. 
  • If you are proposing a panel, all program determinations will be communicated directly to the submitter. The submitter is responsible for communicating all status updates to panelists and for collecting and submitting complete and accurate speaker information, including biographies and headshots, to SHEEO by the deadline specified at the time of acceptance. 
  • Proposals are being solicited from SHEEO members, member agencies, nonmembers, and the broader higher education community. 
  • SHEEO reserves the right to edit or make changes to proposed session titles, descriptions, modes of presentation, panels, and moderators. Changes will be communicated with submitter.
  • Incomplete submissions will not be considered. 

Questions may be directed to Alicia Engels at aengels@sheeo.org. 

Learn more and submit your proposal at https://bit.ly/PC26Proposals.

Economic and workforce development, college affordability, top policy priorities for 2026 

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State higher education leaders across the country are balancing a wide array of policy priorities and concerns going into 2026. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) asked its members to identify their top policy issues for the new year in a survey distributed to chief executive officers in November 2025. States face a multitude of higher education policy issues, with some topics consistently among the top priorities each year, while others represent emerging public policy concerns driven by the current higher education landscape. SHEEO’s report details the top 10 state policy priorities for 2026, with two additional issues noted as honorary mentions.

Economic and workforce development rose to the top priority, moving from number two in 2025. Ninety-seven percent of respondents identified economic and workforce development as important or very important. As the number one state higher education policy issue on average for four years, its status reinforces the longstanding value of workforce alignment between higher education and career readiness. Among the opportunities for states to address economic and workforce development this year is the expansion of Pell Grant eligibility to short-term job training programs through Workforce Pell. In addition, states have been taking action to implement a range of initiatives to address future labor market demands, including introducing key legislation to help higher education agencies work more closely with state workforce agencies, prioritizing financial aid to support high-need programs, exploring standardizing microcredentials, and aligning academic planning with state workforce needs.

College affordability jumped up to the second-most important policy issue, from sixth-most important last year. States have long served as a primary role in ensuring affordable postsecondary opportunities through the provision of operating support that enables public institutions to charge lower tuition rates, and through targeted financial aid programs. Both sources of support have remained steady or increased in recent years, resulting in lower net costs of attendance for students. 

Rounding out the top five priorities for higher education leaders are (3) higher education’s value proposition (return on investment), (4) state operating support for public colleges and universities, and (5) college completion and student success. All top five issues ranked within the top 10 in 2025. Other issues in the top 10 include (6) state impacts from federal policy changes, (7) state funding for financial aid programs, (8) retaining college graduates (“brain drain”), (9) student transfer pathways, and (10) dual enrollment, early college, and/or other K-12 connections. Honorable mentions include public perception of higher education, and the effective use of state data/data systems. 

“2026 holds a lot of unknowns as we look to see what state legislators will prioritize and how changes at the federal level will impact states,” said Tom Harnisch, SHEEO’s Vice President for Government Relations. “Economic and workforce development continues to be top of mind – and with the implementation of Workforce Pell rolling out later this year, we’re optimistic that states will continue to make advances in addressing workforce needs.”

This year, SHEEO added four new policy issues – state impacts from federal policy changes; and dual enrollment, early college, and/or other K-12 connections – both of which ranked in the top 10 – and proactive, guaranteed, and/or direct admissions; and academic program planning and/or review – which ranked 19th and 20th, respectively. Four issues were dropped for the 2026 survey – artificial intelligence; effects of inflation on costs of goods and services; faculty supply, salaries, and/or quality; and academic freedom. The full State Priorities for Higher Education in 2026 report can be found at https://bit.ly/Policy-Issue-Survey26.

SHEEO welcomes Mayfield as new Senior Policy Analyst

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) welcomed Dr. Stephen Mayfield to the team earlier this week. In his role as Senior Policy Analyst, Dr. Mayfield will focus on supporting SHEEO’s research and policy initiatives, with a focus on state postsecondary data systems, noncredit mobility, and student basic needs.

Dr. Mayfield most recently served as a Research Education Analyst at RTI International, where he worked on analytic tasks for the U. S. Department of Education’s major postsecondary studies, including the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), and the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS). Dr. Mayfield led teams contributing to federal reports such as the Condition of Education and the Digest of Education Statistics, and conducted research on the nation’s college and university landscape for the National Science Foundation. 

Earlier in his career, Dr. Mayfield directed institutional research efforts at Gwinnett Technical College and served as Assistant Director of Foundation Relations at Georgia Gwinnett College.

Dr. Mayfield holds a Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in international economics and modern languages from Georgia State University.

Learn more about the SHEEO team at https://sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

SHEEO welcomes Gheesling as new Associate Vice President

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to welcome Dr. Corey Gheesling to the team. In his role as Associate Vice President, Dr. Gheesling will focus on building SHEEO’s workforce development portfolio to complement and engage state higher education agencies in their continued efforts to meet economic and workforce demands. With a distinguished career in higher education policy and practice, Dr. Gheesling brings expertise in aligning academic systems with evolving workforce needs and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

Dr. Gheesling joins SHEEO from the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, where he most recently served as Associate Director for Workforce Development. In that role, he led statewide efforts to align academic programs with economic and workforce development priorities, supported strategic outreach around South Carolina’s Public Agenda for Higher Education—Ascend 60×30—and advanced frameworks for transfer efficiency and credit mobility.

Dr. Gheesling’s previous roles include leading the academic affairs division at the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, where he managed more than $20 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds and chaired a statewide task force on the Future of Work and Higher Education. Dr. Gheesling began his career in education as a social studies teacher and coach before transitioning to higher education as an instructional designer and technologist at Furman University. 

He is a 2025 graduate of the Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative Fellowship and a former participant in LEAD Tennessee, the state’s executive leadership development program.

Dr. Gheesling holds a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, a master’s degree in youth development leadership from Clemson University, and a bachelor’s degree in history and sociology with secondary educator certification from Furman University.

Learn more about the SHEEO team at https://sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

SHEEO welcomes McGuire and Castrejón as State Policy Interns

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The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) is pleased to welcome Adalberto “Beto” Castrejón and Lauren McGuire as State Policy Interns this summer.

Over the next few months, Beto will support SHEEO’s Examining Funding Models for Unintentional Disparities project, including synthesizing curated equitable funding research for state policymakers and highlighting actionable steps SHEEO agencies can take toward analyzing existing higher education funding structures. Lauren will support SHEEO’s Strong Foundations project, where she will analyze the 2025 survey results and share the findings through reports and dashboard developments. Lauren will also support the rural focus of this project by conducting focus groups and analyzing the findings to share with research and data professionals at SHEEO agencies. 

Lauren is a doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University studying educational leadership, policy, and human development. Her research interests include labor organizing in higher education, state policy diffusion and collaboration, civic education, and college access.

Lauren earned her bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Michigan State University, where she learned the value of research-practice partnerships. She also holds a Master of Public Policy from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. While at Vanderbilt, she leveraged her data analysis skills to improve academic affairs policies and procedures, in addition to gaining valuable research administration experience.

Beto is currently a doctoral student in the educational policy studies program at UW-Madison, where he is also an Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Sciences (ITP) Fellow and Education Graduate Research Scholar (Ed-GRS) in the School of Education. He holds a B.A. in business marketing from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs, along with a graduate certificate in Institutional Research and Effectiveness from the University of Iowa.

Beto seeks to promote equity in college preparation, access, and success using quantitative research methods to evaluate policies and programs aimed at enhancing equitable outcomes for historically underserved communities. His research interests have been formed from his identity as a first-generation Mexican American, his professional work in college admissions, and in supporting college student success.

Learn more about the SHEEO team at https://sheeo.org/about/sheeo-staff/.

SHEEO launches national initiative to expand postsecondary education for justice-impacted students

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Five states to join the multi-state learning community

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) today announced the launch of a new, national initiative aimed at expanding access to quality postsecondary education for justice-impacted students across the United States. The initiative follows the reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students in July 2023 — a pivotal policy shift opening new doors to educational opportunity.

With support from Ascendium Education Group and in partnership with the Vera Institute for Justice, SHEEO is convening a one-year, multi-state learning community that includes Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Virginia. Through this initiative, states will work to evaluate relevant policies, remove barriers to access, and promote high-quality, workforce-aligned educational experiences for justice-impacted students. The effort will also work to strengthen collaboration among higher education agencies, corrections departments, and other key partners to build equitable pathways for incarcerated learners.

Advancing Postsecondary Success for Justice-Impacted Students will support participating states in:

  • Assessing current prison education program (PEP) policies to identify gaps and opportunities;
  • Streamlining access to postsecondary education for incarcerated learners;
  • Aligning educational offerings with workforce needs to ensure credentials earned in carceral settings have labor market value;
  • And fostering stronger partnerships across sectors to sustain and scale these efforts.

“The return of Pell eligibility opens the door to transformative change in how we support justice-impacted learners,” said John Lane, project lead and Vice President for Academic Affairs at SHEEO. “This initiative will help states evaluate and improve postsecondary opportunities to meet the best interests of justice-impacted students and their state’s workforce landscape.”

For more information about the Advancing Postsecondary Success for Justice-Impacted Students project, visit https://sheeo.org/project/pell-grants-for-prison-education/. 

About SHEEO

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) serves the chief executives of statewide governing, policy, and coordinating boards of postsecondary education and their staff. Founded in 1954, SHEEO promotes an environment that values higher education and its role in ensuring the equitable education of all Americans, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic factors. Together with its members, SHEEO aims to achieve this vision by equipping state higher education executive officers and their staffs with the tools to effectively advance the value of higher education, promoting public policies and academic practices that enable all Americans to achieve success in the 21st century, and serving as an advocate for state higher education leadership.

About Vera Institute for Justice

The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.

About Ascendium Education Group

Ascendium Education Group® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by the belief that learning after high school gives people the power to build better futures. Our national philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility through postsecondary education and workforce training. We partner with organizations whose objectives align with our core strategies to expand opportunity, support learner success, and connect and align systems. Our grantees include postsecondary education and workforce training providers, intermediaries, researchers, and media organizations from across the U.S. To learn more, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.

State funding to public colleges sees a minimal increase beyond inflation

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FY24 brought increases in state financial aid, large declines in tuition revenue

The latest State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report finds that in 2024, public higher education appropriations per full-time equivalent (FTE) increased 0.8% beyond inflation, surpassing pre-COVID-19 pandemic funding levels in 2019 by 17.9%. The SHEF report also finds that public FTE enrollment increased for the first time after 12 consecutive years of declines. Yet fiscal year 2024 marks the largest decline in tuition revenue per FTE since the start of the SHEF dataset in 1980.

After a short recession in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, historical patterns following economic recessions reversed. Instead of the typical decrease in state funding following a recession, education appropriations increased for the 12th straight year, rising $1,774 per FTE from pre-COVID-19 levels. Additionally, inflation-adjusted education appropriations per FTE were greater than pre-recession funding levels in 2008 by 9.0%, or $969 per FTE. The increase in education appropriations per FTE over time can be attributed to three notable trends: increasing state commitments to higher education funding, a sharp decline in FTE enrollment, and generous federal stimulus funding. 

Additional findings from this year’s report include:

  • After 12 straight years of declines, public FTE enrollment increased, reaching 10.4 million in 2024, up 2.9% since 2023. Despite this increase, FTE enrollment was still down 10.8% from an enrollment peak in 2011. Nationally, public institutions have lost all the additional FTE enrollment gained following the Great Recession. 
  • State and local government funding for higher education totaled $139.1 billion in fiscal year 2024, including more than $624.1 million (0.4%) in federal stimulus funding. Inflation-adjusted federal stimulus funding for higher education declined 63.3% from fiscal year 2023.
  • Education appropriations per FTE decreased 3.3% at two-year institutions and increased 1.8% at four-year institutions. Without federal stimulus funding directed by states to higher education, inflation-adjusted education appropriations still would have increased 1.8% from 2023. Although national-level education appropriations have consistently grown since 2019, 22 states continue funding higher education at a lower level than prior to the Great Recession.
  • State public financial aid per FTE increased 4.8% from 2023 to 2024 and reached an all-time high of $1,155 per FTE enrolled student. These funds made up 9.9% of all education appropriations. Financial aid per FTE increased in 31 states in the last year.
  • Inflation-adjusted net tuition revenue decreased 3.7% in 2024 and has declined 8.1% in the last five years. Public institutions received $7,510 per FTE in net tuition and fee revenue in 2024. Public institutions in 40 states and Washington, D.C., collected less tuition revenue than they did five years ago. Decreases in net tuition revenue are largely due to increases in state financial aid and minimal tuition rate growth (lower than the rate of inflation). Despite recent declines, since 1980, net tuition revenue per FTE has increased in every state and has increased by more than 100% in 41 states.
  • Total education revenue decreased 1.0% from 2023 to 2024, reaching $19,092 per FTE. This marks only the second decline since 2013, the other being a 0.2% decrease from 2022 to 2023. Excluding federal stimulus funding, and if enrollment had held constant, total education revenue per FTE would have decreased 5.5% from 2023, but increased 0.5% from 2019. 
  • For the first time since 2010, the U.S. average student share dropped below 40%, decreasing to 39.3% in 2024. Thirty-two states saw declines, but student tuition and fees funding public higher education still comprised more than 50% of total revenues in 19 states. Continued increases in education appropriations and declines in net tuition revenue have reduced the proportion of total revenue financed by students. 

As these findings demonstrate, fiscal year 2024 showed only small growth in education appropriations and the first increase in FTE enrollment since 2011. The continued decline in net tuition revenue puts greater pressure on states to continue investing in public higher education in the coming years. As federal stimulus funds run out, some states may face difficult budgetary decisions.

“We are encouraged by the recent increase in enrollment and the impactful increase in state financial aid investments. With uncertainty on the horizon for federal and state budgets alike, we know states will be under greater pressure to fund higher education,” said SHEEO President Robert E. Anderson. “While each state is facing its own unique circumstances, we hope lawmakers will continue to view public higher education as an investment in their state’s future workforce.” 

The SHEF report broadly addresses the wide variation in how states fund public higher education. However, state-specific context is incredibly important when discussing higher education finance trends. “The trends detailed in the SHEF report reflect national and state averages, but there are almost always outliers in every trend. Even within states, there can be wide variation in the enrollment and revenue patterns at each institution,” said Kelsey Kunkle, Senior Policy Analyst at SHEEO and co-author of the report. “Nationally, 2024 showed slow growth, reinforcing the need for long-term, sustained investments as states explore new or different ways to address college affordability, educational quality, and inequality in educational attainment.”

The full SHEF report paints a more complete picture of differences in public higher education finance across states.

Explore the SHEF website to read the full report and customize the interactive data visualizations, including individual state profiles. Look for more data from SHEF to be added to the website in the coming months.