In pushing for large tuition increases over the next two years, Gov. Chris Gregoire invoked many of the arguments made over the years for a high tuition-high aid model for higher education. The idea is to keep tuition high but backfill with financial aid, so that a college education remains accessible for students from lower-income households. The Economic Opportunity Institute studied how that has played out at four universities, and the results are not encouraging. At the University of Michigan, enrollment has dropped among low-income and minority students. In one year, the University of Miami-Ohio experienced a 13 percent drop in in-state enrollment and a 10 percent drop in out-of-state enrollment. Student debt increased, because financial aid didn’t keep pace with tuition hikes. The average debt incurred nationally by graduating students is $19,400. At the University of Washington, it is $16,481. At high-tuition Michigan, it’s $25,586.
