College accessibility has improved modestly over the last decade as the proportion of 18 to 24 years enrolled in college has risen from 39 percent to 42 percent since 1997. 

But despite tepid gains in college accessibility, significant disparities still exist in higher education performance by race, income and state, and these gaps pose serious threats to the nation’s global competitiveness, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education announced today in their biennial assessment, Measuring Up: the 2008 National Report Card.

The 2008 report card, like its four previous editions, evaluates the progress of all 50 states in providing citizens with education and training from high school through the baccalaureate degree. State performance is evaluated on six criteria: how well students are prepared for college, participation in terms of how many students have access to opportunities for higher education, affordability, completion, benefits and learning.

Disparities in college access are closely tied to race and income, said Patrick Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. While college attendance has increased for all groups over the past three decades, gaps in enrollment among racial groups have not diminished, he said.  Also, the recent downturn in the nation's economy could force a reversal in terms of the progress made in college accessibility over the last 10 years, Callan adds.

“If we respond to this recession the way we have done to others, placing most of the [financial] burden on students and families, when the  students who most need to get in the system are those who can least afford it, we will set ourselves back quite a ways,” Callan said during a conference call earlier this week.

According to College Board, a non-profit organization, the average tuition and fees for in-state students at four-year public colleges and universities climbed 6.4 percent to $6,585, according to the organization’s annual report on tuition and student aid, while financial aid only increased by 5.5 percent.