UNC has bigger challenges than rising tuition

Students are being asked to shoulder a larger and larger share of educational costs at UNC institutions, that’s the theme of a weekend article in the N&O. Advocates for low tuition and expanded access are seeking law makers’ ears.

 I wonder if tuition and expanding access should really be the focus. Only 35 percent of UNC students graduate in four years; about 64 percent in six years – slightly less than the national average. When more than a third of UNC students leave campus without every getting a degree, a prolonged discussion on rising tuition seems to miss a larger point. Improving college graduation rates is a problem that cries out for a long-term solution; one that in the end will also help to solve the tuition problem.