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The economic recession has limited the government funding available for state institutions, putting colleges and universities in a tight spot financially. Even solutions like tuition hikes and budget cuts aren't enough to get universities the funding they need, and more and more schools see themselves forced to resort to drastic measures.
The University of Washington (UW) recently did just that – they are now admitting more international and out-of-state students and less in-state students in order to decrease their budget shortfall. By doing this, it is sacrificing long-term economic gains for short-term fixes.
Admittedly, the increased revenue – universities get to keep a portion of non-resident tuition – can help cash-strapped institutions continue to provide a quality education. However, the eventual cost to the local business community and students themselves are far greater than the benefits.
Non-resident students are likely to take their education and return home, leaving Washington itself without skilled workers. And the local students who have not been accepted to in-state colleges will need to move to acquire the education they want, and some who would have otherwise stayed will not return.
It is imperative that Washington universities and colleges continue to provide local students with access to higher learning. This will ensure the business community has access to the qualified individuals it needs for increasingly more high-tech jobs.
According to a report by the Higher Education Task Force, two-thirds of new Washington jobs will require some postsecondary education by 2020. The report recommends that by 2018, "28,000 students need to be graduating with a bachelor's degree." This would be an increase of 27 percent from 2010, when 22,000 students graduated with a bachelor's degree. And it won't happen if universities and colleges reduce the amount of resident students.
Individuals with a college education are far more likely to have higher salaries than those with just a high school diploma. A national survey by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2007 shows people who have a bachelor's degree earn, on average, nearly twice as much ($57,181 versus $31,286) as those with only a high school diploma. By decreasing the number of people in Washington with a bachelor's degree – which is essentially what enrollment policies like that of the UW will do – we are hurting residents and lowering future state tax income.
Local communities also benefit directly from a better-educated population through lower unemployment rates. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2009 population survey, individuals who have a bachelor's degree or higher have nearly six percentage points lower unemployment levels than those with only a high school diploma. Lower unemployment means more spending, more tax income, and, by extension, more funding for higher education.
Of course, the dilemma many colleges are facing – either to increase revenues or decrease services – isn't easy to resolve. The extra funds from non-resident students are important to many universities and colleges, and without them they wouldn't be able to serve as many students.
But the future of Washington communities is based on how many students who actually stay in the state receive a college education; the more college-educated people in Washington, the greater the overall economic prosperity and the better our future. And policies like that of the UW will reduce the amount of graduates that remain in the state.
The UW's approach is a short-sighted one that will, in the long run, hurt businesses and the people. And it is one other universities and colleges should not consider.
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