Newshouse Politics

If you’re from a state other than California, congratulations: your home state FAILS at making college affordable for the average student. In a study called Measuring Up 2008, which is fresh off the presses, almost all of the states received a grade of “F” for making college affordable.

Hey, here’s a possible reason:

-From 1982 to 2007, the median family’s income rose 147 percent

-In that same period, the cost of college tuition rose 439 percent

He falls into the "played a math genius" category.

You don’t have to be a math genius, or even play a math genius, to know that such a discrepancy will lead to problems such as the predatory lending practices I assailed earlier.

So, the next question is, why did SkyNe…err, California, rise to the highest spot? According to report, it seems California has a massive and extraordinary community college system. An astounding 2.5 million of the Govenator’s subjects attend community college and at an average cost of $594 a year.

Granted, not every state can be expected to match CA’s financial muscle. But it certainly at least provides a winning formula for states seeking to make realistic decisions about the future of college affordability for their residents.

California's financial muscle.