Public Universities Face “Funding Cliff”
July 10th, 2010Via: Bloomberg:
Many public universities face “dramatic declines” in funding and possible ratings downgrades as states cut and delay annual appropriations, Moody’s Investors Service said.
States are reducing funding to public universities by as much as 6 percent this fiscal year compared with last, Moody’s analysts led by Dennis Gephardt wrote in a report dated today. Institutions rated A2 and A3, five and six steps below the top grade, face the greatest risk of downgrade, New York-based Moody’s said.
“Many U.S. public universities face dramatic declines in state funding on a scale that surpasses past experience,” the analysts wrote. States spent a combined $90 billion on public universities in fiscal 2009, which amounted to about 30 percent of the revenue at the institutions, down from 50 percent two decades ago, according to Moody’s.
Public colleges and universities also face a potential “funding cliff” beginning in fiscal 2012 when stimulus funds are no longer available, the analysts wrote. In 20 states, money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act made up more than 4 percent of budgeted support for public universities in fiscal 2010.
