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Citizens Want Tennessee to Invest More in College Education and Financial Aid
Citizens want
Tennessee Most common obstacles keeping prospective students from earning a degree. Job or work responsibilities to invest more Student loansFamily responsibilities
in college
education and financial aid61% 55%
By KIMBERLY K. ESTEP
That is clear from the results of an annual statewide survey commissioned by WGU Tennessee to gauge residents’ feelings and views about the state of higher education in Tennessee.
While all of this year’s results are worth examining, three stand out.
First, 89% agree that it is essential to have an educated workforce. This is not surprising; almost everyone recognizes that education is one of the primary keys to success and that an educated workforce is necessary for economic growth and stability. What’s also clear from the survey, though, is that Tennesseans want to see active investment toward this goal from several directions.
Second, an increasing majority of respondents (53%) think Tennessee state government should increase its funding for college education, the results show. That’s up slightly from last year, when 48% of respondents said the state should spend more money. (Most of those who disagreed think it should remain at the same level.) In 2019, 46% agreed funding should be increased. This demonstrates a clear trend: When it comes to increasing state investment in higher education, support is rising and now has a majority for the first time since we began administering the survey in 2019.
Third, only 39% of those who participated in the survey think Tennessee colleges and universities provide adequate financial aid to students. We couldn’t agree more. In a column for The Tennessean in 2019, I wrote: “Institutions of higher learning have a moral and civic responsibility in the long term to address [the student debt] crisis, finding ways to lower the cost of getting a degree.”
Further, I believe that higher-education institutions have a responsibility not only to provide adequate financial aid, but also to help students make wise financial choices related to their education.
This is one reason WGU implemented the Responsible Borrowing Initiative (RBI) in 2013, through which all students who apply for financial aid receive a personalized Financial Aid Plan. We recommend that students only borrow money for unmet direct costs, only tuition and fees.
The General Assembly, using WGU’s RBI as a model, passed the Responsible Borrowing Initiative Act in June 2020, and Gov. Bill Lee signed it into law shortly thereafter.
86%
27%
86% said having some form of education after high school is important.
27% said they need more education for the job/career they want.
2021 HIGHER EDUCATION
A recent poll of 500 registered Tennessee voters revealed important perspectives on the current state of higher education in Tennessee.
Cost of a degree Job or work responsibilities Family responsibilities Student loans
62% 60% 61% 55%
What priority level should Governor Bill Lee’s administration give to these issues?
86% said Affordability of college and technical training TOPMIDDLELOWOTHER 86% having some form of education after high school is important.
The RBI Act requires each institution operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents, each state university, and each campus in the University of Tennessee system to provide students with a detailed college financing plan every year.
WGU’s RBI has been so successful that we’ve seen debt loads decrease among our student population by more than 40% since we launched the program. We hope and expect to see similarly striking outcomes for the state with the new legislation.
There are many other important results from the survey as well; but these key trends paint a clear, compelling picture: Tennesseans believe that higher education is important for economic success, a majority believe that the state should be investing more toward that goal, and colleges and universities need to make degree programs more affordable and accessible, actively counseling students to take out fewer student loans.
After all, according to the survey, nearly half (42%) of respondents say they either plan to or may go back to school to earn a degree.
Tennessee and its institutions of higher learning have a vested interest in making sure those potential students are able to achieve their education and career goals.
78% agree with Gov. Lee’s focus on increasing higher education opportunities in rural areas.
69%
agree that HOPE scholarships should be available to students enrolled in other state-approved online college programs.
54%
said online college degree programs were as good as or better than traditional college programs.
ABOUT THE SURVEY:
The Dallas-based market research firm Dynata surveyed 500 ran selected registered voters who are currently employed to gauge attitudes and opinions regarding higher-education issues, inclu financial aid for traditional and online degree programs. It h margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
Kimberly K. Estep is the vice president of the Southeast region of national, nonprofit, accredited Western Governors University. Estep is also the chancellor of WGU Tennessee, a state-endorsed affiliate of WGU. Follow her on Twitter @chancellorestep.
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