Good and Bad News for UNC System Students

The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy has released its biennial report on the University of North Carolina system, “The State of the State University 2015: Critical Facts about the University of North Carolina System.”

The report, authored by Pope Center president Jenna A. Robinson and former writer Harry Painter, evaluates the effectiveness of the UNC system over the past decade. “The State of the State University” reveals that graduation rates remain uneven across campuses, student debt and default rates have increased, and the quantity and compensation of administrative employees has increased significantly relative to faculty.

“Although we have seen troubling trends—including a continued increase in the cost of higher education and presence of too many non-instructional staff on campus—the good news is that more students are graduating in six years and academic standards are improving,” Robinson said.

The report also examines university revenues. It finds that state financial support for the UNC system remains strong.

“North Carolina is very generous to its universities,” Robinson said.

The Pope Center publishes “The State of the State University” as part of its effect to spur transparency in higher education. The report compiles publicly available data about the University of North Carolina system in a way that is useful to parents and students, the public, policy-makers, university administrators, and faculty.

The John W. Pope Center for Higher Education Policy is a nonprofit institute dedicated to excellence in higher education, both in North Carolina and nationally. The report is available online atwww.popecenter.org.