UPDATED MARCH 31, 2026
From The State…
“We used to just say, ‘Hey, here’s the money, don’t raise tuition,’ ” Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Richland, said. “Now, we’re saying, ‘Hey, here’s the money, don’t raise tuition. And, by the way, let’s start looking at this a little bit deeper.’ ”
Ballentine, who chairs the House budget committee’s Higher Education panel, said he’s concerned that too many students are graduating with a mountain of debt and degrees that don’t translate into viable careers.
The average college student now graduates with nearly $40,000 in debt and has a harder time finding work than in past generations, data shows. Not only is the unemployment rate for recent college graduates higher than the general population, but those who do find work are increasingly likely to settle for low-paying jobs that don’t make use of their degrees.
“What we want (colleges) to understand going forward,” Ballentine said, “is let’s focus on some degrees that put people to work. Hopefully, here in our state.”
The House’s budget plan, passed earlier this month, allocates an additional $26.3 million in tuition mitigation dollars to 16 public colleges and universities.
That’s only half as much as schools received last year and less than a third of what they asked for.
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