Opinion

NC appropriations for full-time college students decreased more than national average

By Paige Masten

February 6, 2022 6:00 AM

State appropriations per student dropped both in North Carolina and across the country from 2008-2020. Paige Masten

A right turn: Has GOP influenced how the UNC System is led?

Have corrosive tensions between conservative leadership and more liberal campus cultures, along with a run of bad press, done enough to actually damage the University of North Carolina System's traditionally stellar quality during a decade of Republican control? Are some groups of people being left behind? Read this series of special commentary from the opinion staff at The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer.

Like most other states, North Carolina cut funding to higher education during the 2008 financial crisis. But while most states slowly began to restore that funding once the economy recovered, North Carolina did not. Instead, the state has continued to fund higher education as if money is tight. Per-student appropriations for higher education in North Carolina decreased by 13% between 2008 and 2020, when adjusted for inflation. The U.S. average in that same time period was just a 2% decrease.

Hover over the lines on the chart below to see figures for each year.

This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "NC appropriations for full-time college students decreased more than national average."

Paige Masten

Opinion Contributor,

The Charlotte Observer

704-358-5027

Paige Masten is the deputy opinion editor for The Charlotte Observer. She covers stories that impact people in Charlotte and across the state. A lifelong North Carolinian, she grew up in Raleigh and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2021. Support my work with a digital subscription

A right turn: Has GOP influenced how the UNC System is led?

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