Iowa is one of 43 states failing to make post-secondary education affordable, according to a national report on higher education released last week.

“Measuring Up 2006,” a report by the National Center For Public Policy and Higher Education rated all 50 states in five categories: affordability, benefits of earning a degree, percentage of students completing a degree, participation in higher education and preparedness of students for college.

Iowa received “A’s” and “B’s” in completion, participation and preparation – and a glaring “F” in affordability.

Cuts in state appropriations to Iowa public universities has meant higher tuition at Iowa State and other four-year public colleges because the money “has to come from some source,” said Diana Gonzalez, Iowa Board of Regents policy and operations officer. That has helped lead to the state’s decreased affordability.

“Tuition has increased over the availability of financial aid,” Gonzalez said. “So, no, it’s not surprising that so many states ended up [failing in affordability] just because of that fact.”

The independent report’s affordability ratings were based on the percentage of an average family’s income it would cost to attend college. In 2006, attending a four-year public university in Iowa costs the average family 30 percent of its yearly income.

For Iowans with an income in the lowest 40 percent of the state, it’s become even more difficult to send a student to public universities than it has been in the past, according to the report. Approximately 45 percent of that group’s yearly income now goes toward college costs.

And although tuition and costs have skyrocketed, Gonzalez said student financial aid has not nearly kept pace.

“The Pell Grant, for instance, hasn’t changed in a number of years,” she said of the federal grant for low-income students. “So there are a lot of different financial aid tools that just haven’t kept pace with the increases in tuition.”

Roberta Johnson, director of student financial aid at Iowa State, said 43 states receiving “F’s” was a surprise, but that

with so many failing grades, the report was “maybe not as influential.”

“On the surface [the report] grabs your attention when you hear that 43 states received failing grades,” she said. “But you need to dig deeper.”

Despite the rapidly increasing costs of attending Iowa State and other Iowa universities, Johnson said schools are working to continue keeping a college education available to everyone.

“Colleges are trying to do what they can to keep it affordable,” she said. “I don’t think there are any institutions trying to make it impossible to attend.”

Among Iowa and its neighbors, only Minnesota – with a “D” – received a passing grade in last week’s report. The University of Iowa – which received an “F” in 2004 as well – has fallen far from 2000 when Measuring Up gave the university a “C.”

Gonzalez said that she’s worried about Iowa’s slide in affordability and that it may soon be impossible for many to get a college education at four-year universities.

“We certainly don’t want to create a situation where students can’t tap into post-secondary education,” Gonzalez said. “We are worried.”