Still Less for More: Our 2023 Report on Higher Education in Connecticut

When students invest in a Connecticut institution of higher education, they deserve to have experiences that are equitable and likely to set them up for success. But some of Connecticut’s four-year colleges struggle to keep that promise, achieving low rates of completion at high costs to low-income families. When schools offer less—in terms of giving students the support needed to succeed—in exchange for more—a greater expense, we identify them as “less for more” schools.

Findings:

• 1 CT four-year college with a consistent six-year completion rate below 50%: University of Bridgeport.

• 3 CT four-year colleges with a consistent six-year completion rate at or below 50% for students of color: Central Connecticut State University; Southern Connecticut State University; and the University of Bridgeport.

• 15 CT four-year colleges (nearly all) that have a high average net price to students from low-income families—each relative to peer institutions across the country.

• The "Less for More" List—CT four-year colleges that combine low rates of completion and high prices to students from low-income families: Central Connecticut State University; Southern Connecticut State University; and the University of Bridgeport.

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In the short term, the findings in this report can help students making enrollment decisions to weigh their options. In the longer-term, the findings shed light on a high-level of institutional need. Of the schools that are offering students only “less for more,” many are themselves being offered less by way of state resources. This is especially true at the state’s public institutions—which have the greatest potential to become vehicles of upward mobility because they serve a large share of students from low-income and diverse backgrounds at the most affordable prices.

As a matter of educational equity, Connecticut owes these schools and their students a state-level investment that will protect affordable postsecondary options here and fund institutional support systems that yield higher levels of student success.