Annually, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) produces its State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report to broaden understanding of the context and consequences of public policy decisions in each state that contribute to public higher education funding levels and funding distributions across states and nationally. SHEF provides the earliest possible review of state and local support, tuition revenue, and enrollment trends for the most recently completed fiscal year. 

The most recent SHEF report (FY2021) finds that state funding to public colleges surpassed expectations amid historic declines in student enrollment and tuition revenue. Generous federal stimulus funding protected state revenues and directly supported higher education, enabling states to increase funding 4.5% in 2021 despite a pandemic and short economic recession. However, sharp declines in student enrollment (3.0%) and tuition revenue (3.2%) signal continued upheaval for public higher education revenues. In the midst of this uncertainty, the SHEF report provides a comprehensive look at trends in higher education revenues in fiscal year 2021.

The report also analyzes states’ education appropriations, tuition revenue, and enrollment in FY21, the most recent year for which data are available, to offer a nonpartisan analysis on trends in state higher education funding. 

For the second year, the 2021 SHEF report includes detailed information on state appropriations to institutions, student financial aid, tuition revenue, and student enrollment at two-year and four-year public colleges. These data bring to light clear disparities in total revenues across sectors.

Read the Rhode Island State Profile for FY2021 | Read the full report