Connecticut Board of Delegates
Representative Gregg Haddad
Connecticut General Assembly
Mark Ojakian
President, Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education
Angel B. Pérez
Vice President of Enrollment and Student Success, Trinity College
Mark Scheinberg
President, Goodwin College
Jennifer Widness
President, Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges
Senator Mae Flexer
Deputy President Pro Tempore & Federal Relations Liaison
Connecticut Legislative Advisory Committee Members
Senator Mae Flexer*
Deputy President Pro Tempore & Federal Relations Liaison
Chair: Government Administration & Elections
Vice Chair: Higher Education & Employment Advancement
Member: Appropriations; Education; Internship; Judiciary
Senator Will Haskell
Deputy President Pro Tempore
Chair: Higher Education & Employment Advancement
Vice Chair: Government Administration & Elections
Member: Environment; Judiciary; Transportation
Senator James Maroney
Deputy Majority Leader
Chair: Aging; Veterans’ Affairs
Vice Chair: Human Services
Member: Finance, Revenue & Bonding; Government Administration & Elections; Higher Education & Employment Advancement
Representative Gregg Haddad*
Chair: Appropriations; Higher Education Subcommittee; Higher Education & Employment Advancement
Member: Government Administration and Elections Committee
Representative Gary Turco
Chair: Higher Education and Employment Advancement
Member: Children; Insurance and Real Estate
*NEBHE Board Member
Connecticut Higher Education Fast Facts
•According to NEBHE’s 2017-18 Published Tuition and Fees at Colleges and Universities in Connecticut, in academic year 2017-18, the average combined cost of tuition and fees in Connecticut were $4,276 at public two-year colleges and $10,535 at public four-year colleges. These prices mark an increase of 3% and 4%, respectively, over 2016-17.
• The share of income needed to pay the average tuition and fee prices (both before and after the maximum Pell Grant award) has increased since 2011-12 in all income quintiles, except for the highest quintile (Figures 1 and 2).
• Connecticut is considered a “high-debt state;” it ranks 3rd in the nation among states in which college students graduate with the most debt. The average debt amount for students graduating from four-year public and private institutions in Connecticut in 2016 was $35,494, and 60% of students graduated with loans. For comparison, the national average debt amount in 2016 was $28,699, and the proportion of students graduating with debt across the U.S. was 59%.
• In 2016-17, 31,695 first-time degree-/certificate-seeking undergraduates were enrolled in a Connecticut postsecondary institution, marking an increase of 1.5% since 2009-10.
• Connecticut’s postsecondary attainment goal is for 40% of the adult population to obtain a bachelor’s degree and 30% to achieve an associate’s degree by 2025 (Public Act No. 15-75, Substitute House Bill No. 7007) According to A Stronger Nation, a report by the Lumina Foundation, Connecticut’s current total attainment rate is 53.8%.
Program Participation and NEBHE’s Added Value
NEBHE’s Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break provides Connecticut residents with access to specialized undergraduate and graduate degree programs at public campuses in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — all at a substantial tuition discount.
• In FY 2019, 1,452 Connecticut residents participated in RSP Tuition Break and saved an estimated total of $9.4 million in annual tuition. A full-time student saved an average of $7,300.
• In FY 2019, the RSP provided an estimated $20.2 million in tuition revenue and $4,1 million in fee revenue to participating Connecticut postsecondary institutions.
The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is a voluntary, nationwide agreement among its member states and U.S. territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance-education courses and programs. It is intended to increases the accessibility of distance education courses to students across state lines. Institutions that choose to participate agree to operate under common standards and procedures, providing a more uniform and less costly regulatory environment for institutions, more focused oversight responsibilities for states, and better resolution of student complaints. Connecticut is a NEBHE state that serves as a member of SARA in this reciprocal relationship. For more information about Connecticut’s participation and a list of approved institutions, click here.
