The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released its annual state rankings of higher education performance. On ACTA’s website, policymakers and taxpayers can view where Alaska ranks compared to the rest of the country on key metrics, including administrative spending per student, core curriculum requirements, graduation rates, and more.
The future of the economy, the health of our civic institutions, and the integrity of our national workforce depend on the strength of our colleges and universities. Policymakers cannot assume that higher education institutions properly serve students and taxpayers without careful oversight. ACTA’s state rankings provide a snapshot of 10 data points that can be used to assess the current strength of higher education in Alaska. The recent findings include:
- Alaska ranks 49th in the nation for administrative spending per student
- Alaska ranks 50th in the nation for core curriculum standards
- Alaska ranks 49th in the nation for speech code policies
“Accountability is a nonpartisan issue,” says Kyle Beltramini, ACTA’s policy research fellow. “By undertaking this broad survey of essential indicators of cost-effectiveness and academic quality, it is our hope that policymakers will be empowered to take informed action to strengthen public higher education. With numerous states enacting bold reforms to improve their colleges and universities, it is vital for policymakers to know how their institutions fare when compared to other states. Are your neighbors more affordable? How do your students’ graduation rates compare? These data points are essential to understanding what reforms are needed.”
In addition to releasing the 2024 state rankings, ACTA has issued a Policymaker’s Toolkit ahead of the upcoming 2025 legislative season. The guide outlines steps state policymakers have taken to promote fiscal accountability, support trustees, and generate better outcomes for students, taxpayers, and the nation.