Most public colleges in Louisiana aren’t affordable, according to a new report from the National College Attainment Network.
The college access nonprofit looked at whether students who pay in-state tuition and qualify for federal financial aid had the resources — including grant aid, federal loans, work study, expected family contributions and summer earnings — to cover the total cost of school, plus $300 in emergency expenses.
At most schools in Louisiana, and across the country, they didn’t. The report ranked Louisiana among the least affordable states for higher education: 38th out of 50.
Only 15% of the state’s four-year schools and 40% of its community colleges were considered affordable in the most recent analysis, which used data from the 2022-23 school year.
Nearby, Mississippi and Alabama placed 17th and 14th, respectively. More than half of public two and four-year schools in both states are considered affordable based on the nonprofit's analysis.
Six institutions in Louisiana — two four-year schools and four community colleges — were affordable, according to the report. Mississippi had 10, two four-year and eight two-year schools. Alabama had 12, with six of each.
In Louisiana, the schools considered affordable were the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Southern University at New Orleans, Southern University at Shreveport, Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe, and Delgado Community College and Nunez Community College both in New Orleans.
Nationally, fewer than 500 schools, about 42%, were considered affordable.
Louisa Woodhouse, the report’s lead author, said she expects affordability to get worse in the next few years, pointing to recent cuts to Medicaid and SNAP as an early indicator.
“We know historically that when those kinds of cuts to the federal safety net are made, it’s education funding that is often pulled from state budgets to plug those holes,” she said.
Burden on students
The amount of money state governments contribute to higher education determines the burden on students.
Woodhouse points to a report from a different college access nonprofit that looks at the “student share” of education costs, or the percentage of revenue that comes from tuition and fees versus state appropriations.
Louisiana officials significantly reduced funding for higher education under former Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, who was in office from 2008 to 2016. That shifted the cost to students, and that’s where it has remained.
Tuition made up 45% of revenue for schools by 2014, up from 26% in 2001, according to the report. Last year, it was closer to 41%, two percentage points higher than the national average.
Louisiana is in the bottom quarter of states when it comes to the money it ultimately has to spend per student: $7,715, compared to $11,683 nationally.
Low award amounts, ‘underutilized’ funds
In the Gulf South, Mississippi and Alabama schools relied less heavily on tuition and fees, placing less of a burden on students.
Both states’ flagship schools — the University of Mississippi and the University of Alabama — are known to attract high-performing students from Louisiana by offering more generous aid, ultimately making out-of-state tuition more affordable than in-state.
The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, Louisiana’s merit-based scholarship known as TOPS, used to cover students’ full tuition at public two and four-year schools in the state.
In 2016, the legislature only partially funded the program for the first time — covering about 70% of tuition — and froze award amounts to contain the program’s cost. Since then, TOPS awards have been stagnant, while tuition has continued to increase.
Last year, TOPS, which doles out amounts based on the specific school a student attends, didn’t cover full tuition at any of the state’s public schools, including its community colleges. Award amounts also covered less than two-thirds of tuition at the University of New Orleans, an even smaller share at LSU.
As a result, the percentage of eligible students who accept TOPS money has declined over the last decade. About 81% of students accepted awards in 2023, down from 90% in 2014.
A report from Louisiana’s board of higher education says students are also leaving money behind because of program restrictions.
The report gives the example of the Geaux Teach Scholarship, a program for students in teacher preparation programs. It awarded less than half of its available funds during the 2023-24 school year, leaving more than $1 million unspent.
“Since its inception,” the program has been “underutilized,” the report said.
Funding from Geaux Teach can only be spent on tuition, fees, textbooks and other instructional materials required for enrollment. The award also has a “last dollar” requirement, meaning it can only be applied after all other state and school-specific aid has been spent.
“This leaves the Geaux Teach Scholarship unavailable to [students] despite still facing unmet financial need in other areas of their cost of attendance,” the report said, like room and board.
More money for top students
Lawmakers proposed dramatic changes to TOPS last session that would have increased spending on the program by $50 million per year, but ultimately scaled it back.
Instead of increasing award amounts for all students who qualify, they added a new, more-selective funding tier called Excellence for students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 and an ACT score of at least 31, or an equivalent score on another accepted exam.
Students in this new tier can receive up to $12,000 a year to cover tuition and fees, enough to cover a year’s worth of classes at any of the state’s public colleges or universities.
Previously, the highest amount awarded to undergraduates was $7,463 to attend LSU, compared to the school’s nearly $12,000 tuition price tag.
