- Final Report
and Recommendations of the Committee on Affordability
(8/2003)
In August 2002, the Board of Higher Education created a Committee
on Affordability comprised of members from the Board and the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission. The Committee was charged with
conducting a comprehensive and objective analysis of affordability
issues, with the goals of assessing what changes have taken place
in affordability of Illinois higher education over time, whom
those changes have affected, and what actions can reasonably be
taken at the state and institutional levels, as well as by students
and their families, to enhance affordability.
The work of the Committee builds on the recommendations of the
Board's 1994 Committee to Study Affordability and has involved
a review of relevant research, various data analyses, and testimony
from national experts on trends and issues related to affordability.
The Committee also solicited input and opinions from throughout
the state on issues of concern regarding affordability as well
as on an initial draft set of recommendations.
This report provides a historical perspective on affordability
in Illinois and nationally, reviews the multifaceted relationships
underlying college affordability, and presents a series of recommendations
relating to enhancing academic preparation, assisting needy students,
and keeping costs affordable.
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