STATE ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT - Goal 2 Affordability

The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success, adopted by the Illinois Board of Higher Education in 2008, presents the challenges and opportunities facing Illinois and charts a course to One Illinois, a place where all residents have access to high-quality educational opportunities that prepare them for the jobs of the present and the future.

Today, two years later, it is time to take measure of where we were, where we are, and where we want to be in 2018. This Accountability Report, the second of several performance updates to come, focuses on Goal 2, ensuring college affordability for students, families, and taxpayers. This update shows:

• Illinois ranks at the bottom of the states when measuring the ability of low income families to afford the net cost of an education at public 4-year institutions in Illinois. The net cost, as a percent of income, for a low income family in Illinois is 77.4 percent, the national average is 60.7 percent, and the midpoint of the five best-performing states is 34.1 percent. Illinois ranks 46th in the net cost as a percent of income for middle income families.